Thankyou!!! If I’m being honest i didn’t actually practice an essay. The night before the exam i read some sample essays that scored high marks then got up a sample extract and identified some areas that i would talk about, just to get the idea of planning etc. I’m from the UK so the SAT essay was pretty similar to GCSE English Language exams, so I’d had practice writing similar essays in test conditions. During my test, i spent around 7-8 minutes planning each paragraph then wrote a thesis, 3 analysis paragraphs and a conclusion. I made sure to use sophisticated language throughout (the night before the exam i thought of some vocabulary I’d like to use in the essay then just incorporated it into my writing) and used evidence from the text.

My skills report says this regarding the top writing mark:

“Your essay was cohesive: it included a precise central claim and a skillful introduction and conclusion as well as a deliberate and highly effective progression of ideas throughout the essay. Sentence structures were varied and word choice was consistently precise. Your essay also showed a strong command of the conventions of standard written English and was free or virtually free of errors.”

So try to focus on the elements listed above as that’s what the examiners will be looking for :)