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ACT Writing Test Score Range Changing in September 2016

ByCheree Liebowitz


Students taking the September 2016 ACT will see a different score on their writing test score. The ACT is no longer reporting the writing test scores on a 1–36 scale. Instead, students will see their writing score reported on a 2–12 score range, with 12 being the highest possible score.

The contents of the writing test itself will not change. The essays will still be scored using the same criteria.   Graders of the essays look for four things in the essays: ideas and analysis, development and support, organization, and language use. In case you ever wondered, two readers review each essay.

Please note that although the writing test score was reported on a 2-12 range before September 2015, the ACT is NOT going back to the same 2-12 range. The older writing test was designed differently than the current writing test.

Below is a comparison chart for students and parents interested in seeing how the 2-12 scale compares to the 1-36 scale. These scores should be considered approximate. Concorded means an agreement. In this case, an agreement between the scores.

1-36

Score

 Concorded

2-12 score
1 2
2 2
3 2
4 3
5 3
6 3
7 3
8 4
9 4
10 4
11 5
12 5
13 5
14 6
15 6
16 6
17 6
18 7
19 7
20 7
21 8
22 8
23 8
24 8
25 9
26 9
27 9
28 10
29 10
30 10
31 11
32 11
33 11
34 12
35 12
36 12

The ACT advises that students can best interpret how well they scored on an individual subject test by looking at the percentile rank.

For ACT or SAT test prep or scheduling help or college guidance for your middle school or high school student, visit http://www.internationalcollegecounselors.com or call 954 414-9986.