ACT Writing Score - Retake?

[OnMyOwn]

My son did very poorly on the ACT writing. This was not a big surprise because while he can write very well, he needs lots of time to do it. Also, we didn't have time to prepare at all for the writing section of the ACT and the type of essay they are asking for is different than what my son has done before.

 

I have heard a lot of people say that the ACT writing does not matter. But, is that still true if the score is very low? He has an overall ACT score of a 25, but the writing is a 12! I think the thing that concerns me the most is that the college can see his essay if they want to. I did pay the extra fee to get a copy of his test, but I haven't received it yet, so I don't know how bad it is.

 

So, should I have him retake the writing portion of the ACT? He will likely take the test one more time, because I think some of his scores could come up. His score is already good enough to get him into the colleges he is interested in. Just thought he might be able to get some merit aid if he can bring it up some.

Edited May 13, 2016 by OnMyOwn

[Sunshine State Sue]

12 sounds terrific to me.  What's the max?  Has it changed recently?

 

My son did very well on the ACT (26 in 9th grade, 31 in 10th grade, 33 in 12th grade).  His writing scores were 7 in 10th grade and 6 in 12th grade.  :scared: Put me in the camp of I don't think it matters.  However, if your ds is gonna take the ACT again, I would recommend taking the writing again and try to do a bit of prep first.

[OnMyOwn]

Well, they did just change it, so it's 12 out of 36. Not so great, lol!

[EKS]

Are you sure they changed it?  I just looked at the ACT website and it says that the writing is scored on a scale between 2 and 12.  Do you mean that the combined English/writing score is a 12?

[8filltheheart]

They did change it, but they have had major scoring issues. Lots of kids with high scores (34-35) have reported low writing scores. Most schools are not requiring writing for the 2017 class. I wouldn't retake. My dd scored very high on the March SAT w a low writing score. She is not retaking. (And she is a fabulous writer. Just not timed at the end of 3hrs )

Edited May 13, 2016 by 8FillTheHeart

[OnMyOwn]

Are you sure they changed it? I just looked at the ACT website and it says that the writing is scored on a scale between 2 and 12. Do you mean that the combined English/writing score is a 12?

I wish. The subscores for writing are graded from 0-12, but the total writing score is between 0-36. The way they explain it on the ACT site is confusing, though.

Edited May 13, 2016 by OnMyOwn

[OnMyOwn]

They did change it, but they have had major scoring issues. Lots of kids with high scores (34-35) have reported low writing scores. Most schools are not requiring writing for the 2017 class. I wouldn't retake. My dd scored very high on the March SAT w a low writing score. She is not retaking. (And she is a fabulous writer. Just not timed at the end of 3hrs )

Okay, thanks for sharing about your dd. I had heard people complaining about scores for the ACT on college confidential, but thought whatever the problem was would have been resolved by now. My dd did not do well at all on the writing section, either, and she is a very strong writer, who scored very well on the ACT. She ran out of time, though, and she's only in 8th grade, so I wasn't as worried about her score.

 

Another option I am considering is having at least my son's paper re-scored. It seems a lot of people who did that on college confidential saw a significant increase in their score.

Edited May 13, 2016 by OnMyOwn

[RootAnn]

I wouldn't retake the writing portion. If he retakes the ACT without writing and scores better, schools won't see his other score including writing. (This isn't true of all schools, but I am assuming he isn't looking at the type of school that requires all scores.)

 

This also assumes the schools that he will apply to don't require the writing section.)

[EKS]

They did change it, but they have had major scoring issues. Lots of kids with high scores (34-35) have reported low writing scores. Most schools are not requiring writing for the 2017 class. I wouldn't retake. My dd scored very high on the March SAT w a low writing score. She is not retaking. (And she is a fabulous writer. Just not timed at the end of 3hrs )

 

How anyone could think that a piece of writing generated under these conditions is indicative of anything at all is beyond me.

[OnMyOwn]

After looking at the website some more, it also looks like I can have this test removed from his records at some point if I want to. So, if he tests as well or better in the other areas of the exam next year, then he wouldn't have to keep this writing score on his record. Food for thought.

[OnMyOwn]

I wouldn't retake the writing portion. If he retakes the ACT without writing and scores better, schools won't see his other score including writing. (This isn't true of all schools, but I am assuming he isn't looking at the type of school that requires all scores.)

 

This also assumes the schools that he will apply to don't require the writing section.)

Thanks, RootAnn. I did not realize they would not see the other score. He's not applying to any highly competitive schools, so I think you are probably right.

[8filltheheart]

How anyone could think that a piece of writing generated under these conditions is indicative of anything at all is beyond me.

 

I don't get it, either. 

 

She was recently told that her French composition is on par with native speaking French high school students.  If she can manage that in French, I am absolutely not going to stress her about her writing in English on the SAT.  :001_cool:

[swimmermom3]

They did change it, but they have had major scoring issues. Lots of kids with high scores (34-35) have reported low writing scores. Most schools are not requiring writing for the 2017 class. I wouldn't retake. My dd scored very high on the March SAT w a low writing score. She is not retaking. (And she is a fabulous writer. Just not timed at the end of 3hrs )

 

That's interesting to hear.  We decided to just ignore ds's low ACT writing score.  We figured the high scores in the English/Reading sections, good AP English scores, and his personal essay were better representatives of his writing ability.

[Jilly]

Low writing scores are a known problem this year. My son scored in the 30s on the ACT but got a 20 on his writing and that is after I had them re-score it (it went up a few points). It is frustrating but I don't think it will count against them too much. 

 

Here is an article from the WaPo about the low ACT essay scores. 

[Luckymama]

So my dd is a good student, great test-taker, blah blah blah-------her ACT writing score is shockingly low. She says if a school is going to reject her based on an silly, artificial timed essay, it wouldn't be the right school for her anyway :lol:

 

Don't retake based in writing alone.

[OnMyOwn]

Well, I had paid the extra $25 to get a copy of my students' tests, and I received that today. But, they did not send me a copy of their essays. Just the booklet and a printout of their multiple choice answers.:(

[hopskipjump]

DD took the ACT with writing because her schools required the writing portion, but we basically ignored the result, and it seems that the schools did too. Her ACT writing didn't reflect her ACT English scores, AP scores, or essay-writing ability by any stretch of the imagination. We had a good laugh at the scores each time she took it - because it was such a far cry from representative of the writer she has the ability to be.

 

She admits that the essays weren't at-all good - but her rough drafts are always VERY VERY rough. lol She's one of those writers who NEEDS to refine and reign in her thoughts, and her rough drafts shouldn't be up for judgment by anyone and definitely do not reflect what her second-drafts and final-drafts look like. :lol:  It's a ridiculous test, but I can't quite think of a better way for them to do it.