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About ACT Exam
Preparing for the Writing
There
are many ways to prepare for the ACT Writing Test. You may be surprised that
these include reading newspapers and magazines, listening to news analyses on
television or radio, and participating in discussions and debates about issues
and problems. These activities help you become more familiar with current
issues, with different perspectives on those issues, and with strategies that
skilled writers and speakers use to present their points of view.
Of
course, one of the best ways to prepare for the ACT Writing Test is to practice
writing. Practice writing different kinds of texts, for different purposes,
with different audiences in mind. The writing you do in your English classes
will help you. So will practice in writing essays, stories, poems, plays,
editorials, reports, letters to the editor, a personal journal, or other kinds
of writing that you do on your own. Because the ACT Writing Test asks you to
explain your perspective on an issue in a convincing way, writing opportunities
like editorials or letters to the editor of a newspaper are especially helpful.
Practicing a variety of different kinds of writing will help make you a versatile
writer able to adjust to different writing assignments.
It's
also a good idea to get some practice writing within a time limit. This will
help build skills that are important in college-level learning and in the world
of work.
Here are some ways you can
strengthen your writing skills:
- Read and write
frequently. Read as much as you can from a variety of sources, including
plays, essays, fiction, poetry, news stories, business writing and
magazine features.
- Practice
writing in different formats and in as many real situations as possible.
Write letters to the editor, or letters to a company requesting
information. Writing emails is good practice, but realize that writing for
school and business is usually more formal than an email to a friend.
- Share your
writing with others and get feedback. Feedback helps you anticipate how
readers might interpret your writing and what types of questions they
might have. This can help you anticipate what a reader might want to know.
- Become familiar
with current issues in society and develop your own opinions on the
issues. Think of arguments you would use to convince someone of your
opinion. Taking speech and debate classes can help you think through
issues and communicate them to others.
- Try some
extracurricular writing. School newspapers, yearbooks, and creative
writing clubs offer opportunities to express ideas in writing.
- Learn to see
writing as a process-brainstorming, planning, writing and then editing.
This applies to all writing activities.
- Listen to the
advice your English teacher gives you about your writing.
- Strive for your
writing to be well developed and well organized, using precise, clear and
concise language.
- Remember that
everyone can improve writing skills. You might think others are more
talented, but you know more than you think. Confidence and skill will grow
with the more writing you do. Practice and work lead to achievement.
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