Even though you choose one side as the strongest for your argument, you must be able to demonstrate that you understand both sides of your issue. Before you begin the essay, think about the strongest arguments for your side and the other side. Keep this in mind as you construct your argument essay and use the strengths that you listed for the opposite side. Many SAT essay topics address college related topics, technology topics, knowledge, and progress. Clearly, these are broad topics that can be argued in several different ways. Always choose the side that you think is easiest to argue, but before you start the essay write down the strong points for both sides. When you get to the body of your essay, argue against the strong points of the opposing side!

Avoid

1. Contractions
2. Switching tenses
3. Starting a sentence with “But,” “And,” or “Or”
4. Broad generalizations (“It is always true that,” “One can never say that,”“People always”)
5. Passive voice (The ball was thrown from Jane to Jack.)
6. Repetitive use of the verb “to be”
7. Beginning a sentence with “This” alone (This always applies to school.)

Utilize

1. Constant tense throughout
2. “This” and “That” with descriptions (“This principle always applies to school.”)
3. An introduction with three or more sentences
4. Active voice
5. Spelling out numbers less than 100
6. Varied verb use
7. Different transitions
   1. Represents, illustrates, signifies, shows, tells, portrays, highlights, stands for, symbolizes, depicts, exposes, reveals
   2. Leads to, causes, results in, corresponds to, serves as
   3. Therefore, resultantly, moreover, on the other hand, contrastingly