还有三天就是今年上半年的最后一次SAT考试，遇到不少同学在最后时刻都还需要一些关于写作的Tips. SAT写作让澳洲高中生紧张的原因有三：1. 要求和平时VCE以及IB写作的要求差距很大 2. 时间紧张 3. 作为每次SAT考试的第一部分承担了额外的分量：如果作文出师不利会直接影响后面部分的发挥。今天我们根据多年教学发现的问题给即将踏上考场的同学五条实战建议，希望你们可以安心上阵
1. 认真读题
SAT的写作的题目往往是充满陷阱的，一不小心落入陷阱，你的作文就无法直接回答问题，从而进入低分段，也让你后面的努力都大打折扣。举两个例子。
Do people achieve more success by cooperation than by competition? 这道题并不复杂，但是很多同学会把所有的精力都放在写Cooperation对Success的好处上，忘记了这篇文章是关于Cooperation和Competition的比较。所以你举得例子不能仅仅指Cooperation的好处，更要和Competition相比较，并且证明Cooperation是否是更容易成功的要素。
Is creativity needed more than ever in the world today? 这道题看似非常简单，但是却有一个很大的陷阱。很多同学会直接说Creativity is needed，忽略了题目实际上问的是Creativity是否在当今的世界更加被需要。所以正确的观点应该是对Creativity的要求达到了前所未有的程度或者是它并没有超过过去对于Creativity的要求。
2. 先找例子
我们一直和同学强调，没有人关心你的观点是什么。所以在思考例子的时候，不要先锁定你的观点，这样理论上就会让你找到好例子的几率减少一半。正确的做法应该是用开放的心态来寻找例子。比如上面的第一个例子，Cooperation和Competition孰优孰劣不用先确定下来，找到合适的例子再确定观点也没问题。
那有同学会问，如果我找到一个Cooperation的例子，一个Competition的例子怎么办？很简单，通过定义Success的方法或者区分两个例子的具体情况就可以得出一个中立的观点。 注意：中立的并不是没有观点，一定要写清楚你为什么得到这个中立的观点，而这个观点又是什么。
3. 做好计划
一个详尽的计划可以省去你后期的大量工作，因为你在之后的工作基本上就是follow这个计划，保证语言文字的质量就可以了。一个有价值的计划至少应该包括：
你的Thesis Statement
你的两个例子以及如何展开这两个例子具体如何支持你的观点
注意，你在制定计划的时候一定要明确它的可行性，而在书写的时候更要主要坚定不移的按照计划来展开内容。
4. Link, Link, Link
Link就是保证你的前后文紧密的联系，前后呼应，并且一直保持和你的观点相关。不少考生的一个问题就是希望把例子展开的太大，交待的过于详细，以至于正文的很多内容并不是和自己的观点息息相关。 举一个简单的例子，类似于Bill Gates这样的名人 (我们不鼓励举这种烂大街的例子) 有非常多Example-Worthy的方面，所以你在用他做例子的时候只要写和你观点相关的方面就可以，不用每次都说到他的财富或者他的基金会。
5. 完成为上
能够完成一篇作文是最重要的目标之一。但是因为时间上的压力和经验不足，很多新手考生会花过多的时间在开头及中间段，导致没有时间完成结论部分。有头无尾的文章是基本拿不到6以上的分数的 (满分为12分)，所以一定要注意无论如何一定要留下一些时间给Conclusion。
最后，在心理上的压力不要太大，因为写作上一分的差距也就是等于之后语法单选的1-2道题而已。因此，假设你在写作部分表现不佳也不要太介意，因为如果影响到后面部分的发挥绝对是一件得不偿失的事情。举一个最极端的例子，即使你的写作只有8分，你的49个语法单选题如果可以保证2个或者一下的错误，你还是会拿到750的写作分数。
最最后附上一篇范文给大家压压惊
Is creativity needed more than ever in the world today?
The nature of the modern world is such that the pressures humanity face require increasingly creative solutions, both technologically, and artistically. The prospect of food shortages and global warming are two of the largest problems ever facing the world, and will require incredible creativity if they are to be overcome. Similarly, as people work harder and longer in the West they have an increased need for art and beauty, which because of long cultural histories require more creativity than ever.
Global warming threatens to completely alter life as we know it. Food shortages already mean that millions of people are going hungry every day. Together, these threats mean that the world faces untold suffering, especially given the current expanding global population. While in the past, hardwork and bravery were all that were required to find new resources or fix problems, these have taken us as far as they can. For this reason, creativity needs to be fostered and grown, so that we can reuse and use more efficiently the now limited resources at our disposal.
Heightened creativity is not only required to fix the material, physical problems of the world, but its emotional and spiritual ones too. As people work ever harder, their need for beauty and entertainment increases. Problematically, the inherent requirements of “newness” in art and the long history of producing art means that it is increasingly difficult to come up with original ideas. Huge creativity is needed, and, thankfully, we have seen some of this in areas such as television, a once inferior art form that has been used to present beautiful and interesting spectacles available to a mass audience. And yet, as these become more common, it will become harder to think of new ideas, requiring more creativity than ever before.
The nature of the modern world, its emphasis on growth and expansion in spite of the finite limits of planet Earth means that, in a sense, creativity will always be more needed today than it was yesterday. Similarly, as we pick the artistic “low-hanging fruit” at the same time as we require it more and more due to our busier lives, every day more creativity is needed in this sphere.
