ACT Writing Scores - how important are they?

Hi folks, I've got a question about ACT writing scores. How much weight do colleges actually give to the writing portion? And how are these scores evaluated? Would love to hear some thoughts on this. Thank you!

When considering the importance of ACT writing scores, it's crucial to understand each college has its own policies. Some colleges give considerable weight to ACT writing scores, while others disregard them entirely. From the vast majority of institutions, though, it's safe to say that your composite ACT score is far more significant.

ACT writing scores are evaluated on four domain areas: ideas and analysis, development and support, organization, and language use and conventions. Each of these domains is scored on a 2-12 scale, and these scores are then averaged to provide your writing score.

Colleges, in general, use ACT writing scores as supplemental information. They won't make or break your application, but they can provide colleges with an extra data point to consider. That being said, a low writing score in combination with a solid composite score isn't likely to significantly hurt your chances. In turn, a high writing score won't significantly boost your chances if your composite score is lower.

Yet, provided your writing score aligns with your composite score, it could serve as practical affirmation of your skills. So, while the ACT writing score might not hold as much importance as the main ACT scores in the admissions process, it still offers a chance to demonstrate your writing abilities.

Remember to check with your prospective schools to understand their unique policies, as some schools might require it while others do not. Colleges' testing policies can be found on their admissions websites.