Can I Prepare?

Some students believe that because they don’t know the essay question ahead of time, they cannot prepare. This attitude is very wrong. Runners cannot predict how they will do in a particular race, but they still spend long hours getting ready for competition. You should follow their example. Specifically:

1. Prepare a chart of famous people in books and history and the ideas that their lives and experience illustrate.

2. Read examples of good SAT essays. We have included on at the end of this article. You can find others on the website of the company that writes the SAT (www.aoji.cn We do not advise buying Chinese books that claim to contain examples of good essays. We have found that these contain many errors and do not provide usul models.

3. Write practice SAT essays using real topics. We have also included a list of topics for your practice. Students interested in having their practice essays graded can contact us for more information about this affordable service

Sample SAT Essay : Rags to Riches

Prompt: "Rags to Riches" is an American phrase that rers to upward mobility - the possibility that a poor child can, through intelligence and hard work, become an affluent adult. While inheriting a billion dollars is still the easiest way to land on our list of the world&aposs wealthiest, it certainly isn&apost the most common. Almost two-thirds of the world&aposs 946 billionaires made their fortunes from scratch, relying on grit and determination, and not good genes.

Assignment: Do you believe that in the global economy it is possible to go from "rags to riches?" Using examples from your reading, studies or personal experience, write an essay developing your point of view.

As I look around contemporary China, I see strong evidence that it is possible to go from “rags to riches.” Not long ago, China was an underdeveloped country. Now, China is predicted to overtake the United States bore mid-century as the world’s largest economy. The story of China’s emergence from rags to riches is rlected in the life experiences of two men, each of whom proves that rags to riches is more than just a motivating slogan.

Successful entrepreneur Li Jai Cheng began his adult life under difficult financial circumstances. Though born to an educated family, when he was fourteen, his father died. As a result he had to leave school to work to support his mother and sisters. Had he just worked, he might have moved from rags to regular clothes, but certainly not to riches. The key to Li Jai’s success was his extraordinary commitment to education. After a long day of factory work, he would stay up late at night reading used books he would buy cheaply and then resell to buy more used books. In this way, he learned many valuable business skills and became proficient in English. As a result he was promoted and ultimately able to start his first of many successful businesses, among them a number of joint ventures with global partners.

Like Li Jai Cheng, Li Yanhong experienced hardship during his childhood. Born during the Cultural Revolution, Li was typical of his generation in experiencing the privations of a nation in transition. For Li Yanhong, formal education opened the door to opportunity. With a degree in Information Technology, Li was able to study in the United States. Ther,e he took advantage of this opportunity to learn about search engines. In 2000, upon his return to China, he founded Baidu, China’s most popular search engine, and in 2004, his company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Li Jai Cheng and Li Yan Hong demonstrate that it is possible to rise from rags to riches in the global economy. The experiences of these contemporary Chinese “Horatio Algers” point to three ingredients crucial to business success in the 21^st century: Education, English and International Cooperation.

Sample SAT Essay Questions from the November, 2009 SAT Examination

Question One

Popular culture rers to television shows, movies, books, musical selections, artworks, products, activities, and events that appeal to the interests and desires of large numbers of people. Popular culture tells us a lot about the people of a society. Some people may criticize popular culture or deny its influence on their lives, but one thing is clear: popular culture typically displays the ideas and principles that people value most.

Assignment:

Are the values of a society most clearly revealed in its popular culture? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

Question Two

Some people ruin their chances of achieving success or rrain from attaining a goal because they have learned that success is selfish. But they should not feel guilty about trying to achieve their own goals. People who act on their inner desires—their greatest wishes and ambitions—only make their own and other people&aposs lives better and are more likely to benit society. Imagine how much better the world would be if everyone could be happy and fulfilled.

Adapted from Sheri O. Zampelli, From Sabotage to Success

Assignment:

Do society and other people benit when individuals pursue their own goals? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

Question 3

No matter how much people try and how much they believe in themselves, everyone encounters situations in which it is impossible to succeed. People are often advised, "Never give up," but sometimes, when it seems as though success will not be achieved, they should stop trying, learn from the experience, and move on.

Adapted from Phyllis George, Never Say Never

Assignment:

Is it better for people to stop trying when they feel certain they will not succeed? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

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