First, what is an ACT exam?
The ACT stands for America College Test.
It is an entrance exam used to decide students’ admission to college. An ACT exam tests and measures the applicant’s readiness for college. Although your high school GPA exam plays a crucial role in your college admission, the ACT exam may have the final say. The higher the score on the ACT exam, the more options for college enrolment you have.
An ACT exam consists of four sections. They include: English, Reading, Math, and Science.
Writing the ACT exams is difficult. That’s why you need to prepare for it. The good news is we’ll show you how to write an ACT exam that guarantees you success. Let’s dive into how to write an ACT exam.
How to Write an ACT Exam?
To write an ACT exam, you will need 3 hrs and 45 minutes. You have to plan for every minute while you’re writing it. Let’s look at how to write an ACT for each section.
English Test
This test consists of 75 questions. You’ll have 45 minutes to answer the English test. The English test can be divided into three parts;
- Conventions of Standard English
The questions focus on grammar, syntax, punctuation, and the correct use of words. You don’t have to write essays or share your perspective on world problems or books.
- Production of Writing.
Here, you’re given passages from various texts or books to test your skills in looking at the big picture. You should choose the correct answers based on the tone or purpose of the passage.
- Knowledge of Language
This segment focuses on style, tone, and precision.
Reading Test
This test is very similar to the English test. Here, there are texts and questions based on a specific passage. The test may require you to identify the author’s attitude towards the passage’s core subject. Other things that may be present in reading test include;
- This meaning of specific words from the passage
- The main idea of body paragraphs
- The meaning of various phrases or sentences within the passage
This test measures your ability to analyze given information without adding your perspective on the issue.
Math Test
The math test has 60 questions. Now, let’s check on the percentage that each math topic has in the math test:
- Pre-algebra- accounts for 20-25% of the total questions.
- Elementally algebra- accounts for 15-20% of questions.
- Intermediate algebra- takes up to 20% of questions.
- Coordinate algebra- 15-20% of questions.
- Plane geometry- takes 25% of the questions.
- Trigonometry- ranges between 5-10% of questions.
You may use a calculator in ACT exams. So you don’t have to worry if you’ve challenges in the calculation.
Science Test
The topics in this section include biology, chemistry, space and earth sciences, and physics. Here, you’ll describe a specific phenomenon with several hypotheses to explain it.
How to Improve your Writing Skills
Here are some tips on how to improve your writing for the ACT exam:
- Read and write frequently- By doing so, you’ll have no problem writing an ACT exam.
- Familiarize yourself with current social, economic, and political issues and various opinions.
- Take debate classes. It will prepare you for the essay.
- Share your writing with others. Other people’s opinions and ideas may broaden your understanding and perspective on various issues.
- Read how other people write and try to write it yourself. It will help you master the style and improve your ACT exam scoring.
- Seek advice from your teachers and classmates. It will help you generate constructive ideas.
How to Write an ACT Essay
The essay task is the most challenging part of ACT writing. Writing an essay in a short time of 40 minutes can be stressful. You need to have a strategy for your writing. Here are some steps that can help you;
- Allocate 10 minutes to plan your essay.
- Think of the way you’re going to organize it.
- Read the one writing prompt and the multiple perspectives. Then choose the one you’re going to work on.
- Brainstorm the ideas and analysis. Think about the pieces of evidence you’re going to provide.
- Mindmap your essay’s structure. Then devote 30 minutes to writing. By doing so, you’ll have just enough on the test day.
An ACT Exam Sample
To get something to build your essay on, you’re going to get a prompt with three different perspectives. Then you need to choose which one of them you’re going to write your essay, just like the ACT example essay. Let’s focus on a writing prompt based on cancel culture.
“ Cancel culture is the traditional practice of withdrawing support for companies, specific individuals, based on their actions, opinions, or something considered offensive and objectionable. Individuals are called out or banned on popular social media platforms. On the hand, when it comes to organizations or businesses, it can include boycotting their products or canceling the organizations from public appearances.”
Now let’s focus on perspectives to use to get high scores on the ACT exam.
Perspective 1:
Cancel culture allows the victims to hold their abusers accountable via public opinion when the justice system fails them. Social justice movements such as #Metoo helped various women to call out their abusers. The cancel culture helps combat wrongdoings and address discrimination. It leads to a safer world free from any form of abuse.
Perspective 2:
Although the cancel culture allows people to call out their abusers, some people can use it for their benefit. Some people are canceled without evidence or based on proofless claims. Therefore, it turns the anti-abuse campaign into a witch hunt.
Perspective 3:
Cancel culture may lead to a change of power in political issues. However, it’s ultimately unproductive when it comes to social change. As soon the cancel culture became big, it turned into simply castings stones at each other. We think it leads to social justice, but it’s just engaging in the social media frenzy that doesn’t affect real life.
To write an ACT essay, you need to analyze and organize ideas on everything you know about cancel culture. Then analyze each of the perspectives presented to you. You must choose the perspective that supports you with more pieces of evidence.
Start your essay with an analysis of the cancel culture as a whole. Then, move to the perspectives given. Convey your arguments on the topic by providing your viewpoint. Support your viewpoint with pieces of evidence. Regardless of the perspective you choose, the Depp versus Heard case will have something to do with it. Then finish your essay with a logical conclusion.
We hope this article will help you to write an ACT exam.
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Good luck with your writing.