How are the essays scored?
Essays are scored in a manner that is fair and consistent, using a holistic approach. In holistic scoring, a piece of writing is considered as a total work, the whole of which is greater than the sum of its parts. The essay is scored by qualified readers, who take into account such aspects as complexity of thought, substantiality of development, and facility with language. Each essay is scored separately by two readers who won’t know the other’s score. Each reader gives the essay a score from 1 to 6 (6 is the highest score), based on the overall quality of the essay and its demonstration of writing competence. If the two readers’ scores differ by more than one point, a scoring leader will resolve the difference. The essay score equals one-third of the entire score for the writing section.
