Award-Winning ACT Writing
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Award-Winning ACT Writing Tutors

Certified Tutor
6+ years
Ilesh
Scoring a 36 ACT composite means Ilesh knows exactly how the Writing section's rubric rewards argument structure over fancy vocabulary. He teaches students to build a clear thesis, engage all three perspectives efficiently, and organize their essay so graders see logical progression within the 40-mi...
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Bachelor of Science, Industrial Engineering

Certified Tutor
16+ years
John
Years of writing and performing — John holds a BFA in English/Drama — trained him to construct arguments that land with an audience, which is precisely what ACT essay graders are looking for when they score perspective analysis and rhetorical clarity. He teaches students to treat the 40-minute promp...
University of St Thomas
Bachelor of Fine Arts, English/Drama
American Academy of Dramatic Arts
Associates, Acting
Certified Tutor
10+ years
Chelain
I am currently a resident physician at Northwestern Hospital.
Thomas Jefferson University
PHD, PhD: Molecular Pharmacology and Structural Biology; MD: Medicine. Currently a Resident in Radiation Oncology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. C
Swarthmore College
Bachelors, Biology, Psychology
Certified Tutor
8+ years
Anna
The ACT Writing essay asks for something very specific: a thesis that engages three given perspectives, supported by concrete reasoning — not a personal narrative or a five-paragraph formula. Anna earned a 36 ACT composite and trains students to outline a high-scoring argument in under five minutes,...
Northwestern University
Bachelor in Arts, Anthropology
Northwestern University
Graduated (Honors Program in Medical Education)
Certified Tutor
5+ years
Sugi
Scoring well on ACT Writing means constructing a clear, well-organized argument under tight time pressure — a skill Sugi has sharpened from both sides, as a 36-scoring test taker and as someone who has reviewed essays on admissions committees at Rice and Baylor College of Medicine. She teaches stude...
Rice University
Bachelor's degree in Cognitive Science and Biochemistry & Cell Biology
Baylor College of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine, Ophthalmic Technology
Certified Tutor
6+ years
Alex
A strong ACT Writing score comes down to engaging with all three perspectives in the prompt and building a coherent argument under tight time pressure. Alex, who earned a perfect 36 ACT composite, walks students through a reusable essay structure — clear thesis, specific counterargument analysis, pu...
Washington and Lee University
Bachelor of Science, Chemical Engineering
Certified Tutor
9+ years
Elliot
The ACT Writing essay rewards a specific structure: a clear thesis, engagement with all three perspectives, and concrete reasoning that ties them together. Elliot breaks down each scoring dimension — Ideas and Analysis, Development and Support, Organization, Language Use — so students know exactly w...
Hampshire College
Bachelor in Arts, Cognitive Science
Vanderbilt University
Doctor of Philosophy, Neuroscience
Certified Tutor
Eric
Between his business degree and a perfect 36 ACT composite, Eric knows how to construct a concise, well-supported argument on a deadline — which is the entire game on the ACT Writing section's 40-minute, three-perspective prompt. He teaches students to skip the agonizing over which perspective is 'r...
University of Michigan
Bachelor in Business Administration, Business
Certified Tutor
15+ years
The ACT Writing essay isn't really about having the best opinion — it's about engaging with three given perspectives and building a coherent, well-structured argument in 40 minutes. Austin's philosophy degree trained him to evaluate competing claims and construct logical arguments under pressure, an...
University of Notre Dame
Bachelors
Certified Tutor
4+ years
I am a Neuroscience and Behavior major at Columbia University. Although my major is centered in the STEM field, I am also passionate about human rights work, global engagement, and local outreach. While my future plans are subject to change, I see myself continuing in academia, going to medical scho...
Columbia University in the City of New York
Bachelor in Arts, Neuroscience
Certified Tutor
Edward
A strong ACT essay needs a thesis that directly engages all three perspectives and weaves in concrete reasoning — not just a five-paragraph formula. Edward, an avid writer and reader, teaches students to quickly outline a position, develop counterarguments, and tie everything back with precise langu...
University
Bachelor's
Certified Tutor
6+ years
I'm eager to teach students how to make connections and understand any part of the world they need!
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Master of Divinity, Ministry
University of Kentucky
Bachelor in Arts, Communication, General
Certified Tutor
9+ years
Emily
Scoring a perfect 36 on the ACT gave Emily firsthand insight into what graders reward in the optional Writing section: a clear thesis, specific engagement with the three perspectives, and organized reasoning that doesn't waste words. She teaches students a repeatable essay structure they can execute...
Yale University
Master of Public Health (MPH), concentration in Epidemiology and Global Health
Yale School of Public Health
Master in Public Health, Public Health
Yale University
Bachelor of Science (B.S.), double major in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and French
Certified Tutor
Christopher
Christopher's Harvard mechanical engineering coursework demands constant technical writing — structuring claims, supporting them with evidence, and cutting anything that doesn't serve the argument — which is the same discipline the ACT essay rewards in a 40-minute window. He teaches students to quic...
Harvard College
Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering
Certified Tutor
8+ years
Benjamin
Studying both English literature and computer science at Columbia means Benjamin toggles daily between close reading and logical problem-solving — two skills that converge on the ACT essay, where a strong response requires parsing three perspectives like texts and structuring a rebuttal like code. H...
Columbia University in the City of New York
Bachelor of Science, Computer Science
Columbia University in the City of New York
Current Grad Student, English
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Edward
AP Calculus AB Tutor • +31 Subjects
A strong ACT essay needs a thesis that directly engages all three perspectives and weaves in concrete reasoning — not just a five-paragraph formula. Edward, an avid writer and reader, teaches students to quickly outline a position, develop counterarguments, and tie everything back with precise language under the 40-minute time constraint. His own 36 ACT composite shows he's executed this approach under real testing pressure.
Logan
Pre-Algebra Tutor • +31 Subjects
I'm eager to teach students how to make connections and understand any part of the world they need! Hobbies: art, books, writing, reading, music
Emily
Pre-Algebra Tutor • +38 Subjects
Scoring a perfect 36 on the ACT gave Emily firsthand insight into what graders reward in the optional Writing section: a clear thesis, specific engagement with the three perspectives, and organized reasoning that doesn't waste words. She teaches students a repeatable essay structure they can execute in 40 minutes, then sharpens their argument development and transitions through targeted revision practice.
Christopher
AP Calculus AB Tutor • +51 Subjects
Christopher's Harvard mechanical engineering coursework demands constant technical writing — structuring claims, supporting them with evidence, and cutting anything that doesn't serve the argument — which is the same discipline the ACT essay rewards in a 40-minute window. He teaches students to quickly map each perspective's core assumption into an outline, then write body paragraphs that do analytical heavy lifting instead of restating the prompt. His 35 ACT composite and 4.8 rating back up the method.
Benjamin
AP Calculus AB Tutor • +36 Subjects
Studying both English literature and computer science at Columbia means Benjamin toggles daily between close reading and logical problem-solving — two skills that converge on the ACT essay, where a strong response requires parsing three perspectives like texts and structuring a rebuttal like code. He teaches students to spend the first three minutes extracting each perspective's core claim, then slot those claims into a thesis-driven outline that practically writes itself. His perfect 36 ACT composite and 5.0 student rating back up the method.
Astoria
Calculus Tutor • +16 Subjects
I am an undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis majoring in Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology on the Premed track. I have two years worth of experience peer tutoring. I feel the most confident tutoring ACT preparation. During my time as a high school student, I worked from an ACT score of 25 to a 36 and developed many effective strategies that I will tailor to the students I tutor and understand the ins and outs of the test. In addition to working with high school peers, I have also enjoyed teaching private piano and violin lessons for elementary students. Helping people knock down their roadblocks is a passion of mine. Standardized tests and basic education may feel removed from our passions, but developing those foundations are essential for opening up opportunities and becoming capable of taking on our pursuits.
Rhea
AP Statistics Tutor • +48 Subjects
The ACT Writing essay rewards a specific structure: a clear thesis, direct engagement with all three perspectives, and concrete reasoning that ties your argument together. Rhea scored a 36 ACT composite and breaks the optional essay into a repeatable framework — from dissecting the prompt's perspectives to building counterarguments that earn top-tier complexity scores. Her approach turns a 40-minute sprint into something students can walk into with a plan.
Ishan
Pre-Algebra Tutor • +25 Subjects
I am a current sophomore at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where I am majoring in Biology as part of the 7 Year Accelerated Medical Program. I am also minoring in Healthcare Economics and Policy. My favorite subjects in school are Chemistry, Biology, and Math, but I also enjoy the process of writing and editing thought provoking essays. During high school, I spent time tutoring for the National Honor Society. My approach to tutoring is to teach the concepts in a simplistic manner and reinforcing the concepts while adding difficulty through effective practice problems. In my free time, I have recently found myself reading, working out, drawing, and spending time with my siblings. Hobbies: art, books, writing, reading, music
Kevin
Applied Mathematics Tutor • +59 Subjects
The ACT Writing section rewards a specific structure: a clear thesis, direct engagement with all three perspectives, and concise reasoning under a 40-minute clock. Kevin scored a 36 ACT composite and treats the essay as an engineering problem — breaking the prompt into components, building a logical framework, and executing efficiently. His 4.8 rating speaks to how well that systematic approach clicks with students.
Nikhil
Calculus Tutor • +22 Subjects
The ACT Writing essay isn't about having the "right" opinion — it's about engaging with three perspectives and building a coherent argument in 40 minutes under pressure. Nikhil, who scored a 36 ACT composite, teaches a repeatable essay structure that lets students spend less time planning and more time developing specific, persuasive examples.
Top 20 Subjects
Frequently Asked Questions
ACT Writing has two distinct question types that require different skills. Grammar questions test punctuation, sentence structure, and verb tense—basically technical correctness. Rhetoric questions ask you to improve word choice, reorganize sentences for clarity, add/delete content for relevance, and understand how ideas connect. Many students excel at one but struggle with the other, so a tutor can diagnose which type trips you up and build targeted strategies for each.
The most common challenges are comma usage and placement (especially with introductory phrases and dependent clauses), pronoun-antecedent agreement, and recognizing when a sentence is actually correct as-is. On the rhetoric side, students often miss questions about redundancy and wordiness, struggle to identify the purpose of a sentence within a paragraph, and have trouble spotting when a sentence or phrase should be deleted for relevance. Understanding these patterns helps tutors focus on what will move your score fastest.
ACT Writing gives you 45 minutes to tackle 5 passages with 15 questions total, which works out to about 9 minutes per passage. Most students benefit from spending 2-3 minutes reading and marking up the passage, then 6-7 minutes answering questions. The key is not getting stuck on hard questions—mark your best guess and move on, then return if time allows. A tutor can help you practice this timing with real tests so it feels natural on test day rather than stressful.
Take a full-length ACT practice test under timed conditions, then review every question you missed or guessed on. Categorize them: Was it a grammar rule you didn't know? Did you misread the question? Did you understand the grammar but miss the rhetorical purpose? Tracking patterns across multiple practice tests reveals whether you need to strengthen grammar fundamentals, improve reading comprehension of the passages, or develop better test-taking strategies. A tutor can accelerate this analysis and create a focused study plan based on your specific gaps.
Most students see 2-4 point improvements within 4-6 weeks of focused tutoring, though the amount depends on your starting point and consistency. Students with significant grammar gaps or weak reading comprehension may improve faster once they understand the patterns, while students already scoring 30+ typically need more targeted work on the trickiest rhetoric questions. Consistent practice with real ACT passages—not just grammar drills—combined with strategic feedback is what drives real score gains.
A strong ACT Writing tutor should understand both the grammar rules tested and the rhetorical concepts that make the section unique. They should be able to explain why an answer is correct using ACT's specific logic, not just general grammar rules—for example, knowing when ACT considers a sentence "too wordy" versus "concise." They should also use actual ACT passages and questions in tutoring, help you develop a personalized pacing strategy, and teach you to recognize question patterns so you can apply strategies to unfamiliar passages.
Focus on untimed practice first—work through a full passage without the clock to understand the questions deeply and check your reasoning. Once you're consistently accurate, time yourself on individual passages (9 minutes each) before attempting full 45-minute sections. Keep an error log noting whether you missed questions due to not knowing a rule, misreading the passage, or misunderstanding what the question asked. Review this log with your tutor to spot patterns and adjust your study focus accordingly.
ACT Writing anxiety often stems from running out of time or second-guessing yourself. Building confidence through timed practice with real passages is the most effective antidote—when you've practiced under pressure, test day feels familiar. Develop a pre-passage routine (skim the passage, mark key ideas, then answer questions) so you have a consistent process to fall back on when nerves hit. A tutor can also help you distinguish between productive self-checking and unproductive overthinking, so you learn when to trust your first instinct versus when to reconsider.
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