Writing samples
The sample formats provided are similar to the format of the Writing stimulus that students will encounter in the Writing tests.
The sample questions provided are not representative of the full range of test content, curriculum spread or the full range of item difficulties.
Please use the links below to view the sample formats:
Assessing the Writing Task
In 2008 students will be asked to complete a Writing Task in the narrative genre. The task will be marked by assessors who have received intensive training in the application of a set of ten (10) writing criteria. The criteria are described below and in the attached PDF document.
Descriptions of the Writing Criteria
Audience | The writer’s capacity to orient, engage and affect the reader |
Text Structure | The organization of narrative features including orientation, complication and resolution into an appropriate and effective text structure |
Ideas | The creation, selection and crafting of ideas for a narrative |
Character and Setting | Character: The portrayal and development of character Setting: The development of a sense of a place, time and atmosphere |
Vocabulary | The range and precision of language choices |
Cohesion | The control of multiple threads and relationships over the whole text, achieved through the use of referring words, substitutions, word associations and text connectives |
Paragraphing | The segmenting of text into paragraphs that assist the reader to negotiate the narrative |
Sentence Structure | The production of grammatically correct, structurally sound and meaningful sentences |
Punctuation | The use of correct and appropriate punctuation to aid the reading of the text |
Spelling | The accuracy and range of spelling |