Many students struggle with time management—40 minutes goes quickly when you need to read the prompt, understand opposing viewpoints, plan your essay, and write it all out. Others find it difficult to develop a clear, nuanced position or to explain how their viewpoint compares to the given perspectives. Some students also underestimate the importance of organization and clarity, focusing too much on length rather than the quality of their argument.

Score improvement depends on your starting point and how much you practice, but most students see meaningful gains with focused instruction and regular practice. Tutors help you understand the scoring rubric, develop a consistent essay structure, and practice time management—all of which directly impact your score. Working with a tutor typically allows you to identify and fix specific weaknesses (like weak thesis statements or underdeveloped reasoning) much faster than studying alone.

Your first session focuses on understanding where you stand. You'll likely take a practice essay or discuss your previous ACT attempts, and the tutor will assess your strengths and areas for improvement—whether that's thesis clarity, argument development, time management, or essay structure. From there, you'll create a personalized study plan that targets your specific needs and fits your timeline before test day.

Practice tests are essential because they simulate real test conditions and help you build stamina and timing skills. Taking full practice essays under timed conditions reveals exactly where you lose time and what patterns appear in your writing. A tutor can review your practice essays, point out recurring issues, and help you refine your approach—making each practice attempt more valuable than the last.

Most successful writers spend about 3-5 minutes reading and understanding the prompt and perspectives, 5-7 minutes planning their essay and thesis, and 25-30 minutes writing. The key is not to spend too long planning or revising—aim for a solid first draft that clearly addresses the prompt. Tutors can help you practice this breakdown repeatedly so it becomes automatic on test day, reducing anxiety and improving consistency.

No—they're very different. The English section tests grammar, punctuation, and rhetorical skills across short passages, while the Writing section is a single 40-minute essay that evaluates your ability to develop and support an argument. You can be strong in one and weaker in the other, so many students benefit from targeted tutoring for whichever section needs the most work.

Look for tutors who have strong ACT Writing scores themselves, understand the current scoring rubric, and have experience helping students improve their essays. Ideally, they should be able to explain not just what makes a good essay, but why—so you understand the reasoning behind feedback rather than just following rules. Varsity Tutors connects you with expert tutors in Columbia who specialize in ACT Writing and can provide personalized instruction tailored to your goals.