Timed Writing Tests

I.  How the tests are scored

• holistically

• maximum 8, passing 5

• each rater’s choices: 0, .5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4

• 2 raters’ scores added together form the final score

o       must be within one score of each other

• What raters look for

o       grammatical competence

§         proficient use of subordinate clauses

§         appropriate ways of combining clauses

§         appropriate transition words and phrases

o       basic essay organization

§         introduction/thesis statement

§         body (one or more paragraphs)

§         conclusion

o       sufficient development of ideas (support for thesis, e.g., examples, facts…)

o       relevance of content to the prompt

o       adequate length (should be at least 1½ pages)

o       mechanical competence (spelling, punctuation, capitalization)

• What raters don’t look for

o       clever content

o       perfection

II.  How to do your best on a timed writing test

• Make sure you are familiar with the directions before the test.  While I read the directions, look at the topic and begin to plan your answer.

• Take time to understand the writing prompt.  Make sure you address the question that is asked.

• Manage your time so that you have at least 5 minutes to proofread what you have written and correct obvious errors.  In particular, check for –s and –ed endings, articles before singular nouns, comma splices,  fragments, verb forms and agreement.  Have a good eraser so that you can make changes neatly.

• Write legibly and don’t crowd your words or lines.  Leave adequate (but not huge!) margins on the sides and bottom. There will be extra paper if you need it.

• Use a variety of sentence structures and lengths (both simple sentences and sentences with coordinate and subordinate clauses).

Liakos 11/14/2007