- Imagine that you wake up one morning to discover that you have become the President of the United States. Write a story about your first day as President.
Scoring Guide
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Score & Description |
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Excellent
• Tells a clear story that is well-developed and shaped with well-chosen details across the response. • The story is well organized with strong transitions. • Sustains variety in sentence structure and exhibits good word choice. • Errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation are few and do not interfere with understanding.
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Skillful
• Tells a clear story that is developed and shaped with details in parts of the response. • The story is clearly organized, but may lack some transitions and/or have occasional lapses in continuity. • Exhibits some variety in sentence structure and some good word choices. • Errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation do not interfere with understanding.
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Sufficient
• Tells a clear story that is developed with some details. • The parts of the story are generally related, but there are few or no transitions. • Exhibits control over sentence boundaries and sentence structure, but sentences and word choice may be simple and unvaried. • Errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation do not interfere with understanding.
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Uneven May be characterized by one or more of the following: • Attempts to tell a story, but parts of the story are unclear, undeveloped, list-like, or repetitive OR offers no more than a well-written beginning. • Unevenly organized; parts of the story may be unrelated to one another. • Exhibits uneven control over sentence boundaries and sentence structure; may have some inaccurate word choices. • Errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation sometimes interfere with understanding.
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Insufficient May be characterized by one or more of the following: • Attempts to tell a story, but the attempt may be a fragment and/or very undeveloped. • Very disorganized throughout the response OR too brief to detect organization. • Minimal control over sentence boundaries and sentence structure; word choice may often be inaccurate. • Errors in grammar or usage (such as missing words or incorrect word use or word order), spelling, and punctuation interfere with understanding in much of the response.
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Unsatisfactory May be characterized by one or more of the following: • Responds to prompt, but provides little or no coherent content OR merely paraphrases the prompt. • Has no apparent organization OR consists of a single statement. • Minimal or no control over sentence boundaries and sentence structure; word choice may be inaccurate in much or all of the response. • A multiplicity of errors in grammar or usage (such as missing words or incorrect word use or word order), spelling, and punctuation severely impedes understanding across the response.
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- A novel written in the 1950’s describes a world where people are not allowed to read books. A small group of people who want to save books memorize them so that the books won’t be forgotten. For example, an old man who has memorized the novel The Call of the Wild helps a young boy memorize it by reciting the story to him. In this way, the book is saved for the future.
If you were told that you could save just one book for future generations, which book would you choose?
Write an essay in which you discuss which book you would choose to save for future generations and what it is about the book that makes it important to save. Be sure to discuss in detail why the book is important to you and why it would be important to future generations.
Scoring Guide
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Score & Description |
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Excellent
• Develops and shapes information with well-chosen details across the response. • Well organized with strong transitions. • Sustains variety in sentence structure and exhibits good word choice. • Errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation are few and do not interfere with understanding.
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Skillful
• Develops and shapes information with details in parts of the response. • Clearly organized, but may lack some transitions and/or have occasional lapses in continuity. • Exhibits some variety in sentence structure and some good word choices. • Errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation do not interfere with understanding.
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Sufficient
• Develops information with some details. • Organized with ideas that are generally related, but has few or no transitions. • Exhibits control over sentence boundaries and sentence structure, but sentences and word choice may be simple and unvaried. • Errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation do not interfere with understanding.
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Uneven May be characterized by one or more of the following: • Presents some clear information, but is list-like, undeveloped, or repetitive OR offers no more than a well-written beginning. • Unevenly organized; the response may be disjointed. • Exhibits uneven control over sentence boundaries and sentence structure; may have some inaccurate word choices. • Errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation sometimes interfere with understanding.
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Insufficient May be characterized by one or more of the following: • Presents fragmented information OR may be very repetitive OR may be very undeveloped. • Very disorganized; thoughts are tenuously connected OR the response is too brief to detect organization. • Minimal control over sentence boundaries and sentence structure; word choice may often be inaccurate. • Errors in grammar or usage (such as missing words or incorrect word use or word order), spelling, and punctuation interfere with understanding in much of the response.
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Unsatisfactory May be characterized by one or more of the following: • Attempts to respond to prompt, but provides little or no coherent information; may only paraphrase the prompt. • Has no apparent organization OR consists of a single statement. • Minimal or no control over sentence boundaries and sentence structure; word choice may be inaccurate in much or all of the response. • A multiplicity of errors in grammar or usage (such as missing words or incorrect word use or word order), spelling, and punctuation severely impedes understanding across the response.
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- Imagine that the article shown below appeared in your local newspaper. Read the article carefully, then write a letter to your principal arguing for or against the proposition that classes at your school should begin and end much later in the day. Be sure to give detailed reasons to support your argument and make it convincing.
Scoring Guide
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Score & Description |
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Excellent
• Takes a clear position and develops it consistently with well-chosen reasons and/or examples across the response. • Well organized with strong transitions. • Sustains variety in sentence structure and exhibits good word choice. • Errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation are few and do not interfere with understanding.
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Skillful
• Takes a clear position and develops it with reasons and/or examples in parts of the response. • Clearly organized, but may lack some transitions and/or have occasional lapses in continuity. • Exhibits some variety in sentence structure and some good word choices. • Errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation do not interfere with understanding.
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Sufficient
• Takes a clear position and supports it with some reasons and/or examples. • Organized with ideas that are generally related, but there are few or no transitions. • Exhibits control over sentence boundaries and sentence structure, but sentences and word choice may be simple and unvaried. • Errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation do not interfere with understanding.
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Uneven May be characterized by one or more of the following: • Takes a position and offers support, but may be unclear, repetitive, list-like, or undeveloped. • Unevenly organized; the response may be disjointed. • Exhibits uneven control over sentence boundaries and sentence structure; may have some inaccurate word choices. • Errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation sometimes interfere with understanding.
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Insufficient May be characterized by one or more of the following: • Takes a position, but may be very unclear, very undeveloped, or very repetitive. • Very disorganized; thoughts are tenuously connected OR the response is too brief to detect organization. • Minimal control over sentence boundaries and sentence structure; word choice may often be inaccurate. • Errors in grammar or usage (such as missing words or incorrect word use or word order), spelling, and punctuation interfere with understanding in much of the response.
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Unsatisfactory May be characterized by one or more of the following: • Attempts to take a position (addresses topic) but is incoherent OR takes a position but provides no support; may only paraphrase the prompt. • Has no apparent organization OR consists of a single statement. • Minimal or no control over sentence boundaries and sentence structure; word choice may be inaccurate in much or all of the response. • A multiplicity of errors in grammar or usage (such as missing words or incorrect word use or word order), spelling, and punctuation severely impedes understanding across the response.
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