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AnglophoneWritingAssessments:Contexts,Purposes,andApproaches

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Handouts

AdvancedPlacementLanguage&CompositionExam(USA)2016

AP® English Language and Composition 2016 Free-Response Questions

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ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION SECTION II

Total Time—2 hours, 15 minutes

Question 1

Suggested reading and writing time—55 minutes. It is suggested that you spend 15 minutes reading the question, analyzing and evaluating the sources,

and 40 minutes writing your response. Note: You may begin writing your response before the reading period is over.

(This question counts for one-third of the total essay section score.)

Over the past several decades, the English language has become increasingly globalized, and it is now seen by many as the dominant language in international finance, science, and politics. Concurrent with the worldwide spread of English is the decline of foreign language learning in English-speaking countries, where monolingualism—the use of a single language—remains the norm.

Carefully read the following six sources, including the introductory information for each source. Then synthesize information from at least three of the sources and incorporate it into a coherent, well-developed essay that argues a clear position on whether monolingual English speakers are at a disadvantage today.

Your argument should be the focus of your essay. Use the sources to develop your argument and explain the reasoning for it. Avoid merely summarizing the sources. Indicate clearly which sources you are drawing from, whether through direct quotation, paraphrase, or summary. You may cite the sources as Source A, Source B, etc., or by using the descriptions in parentheses.

Source A (Berman) Source B (Thomas) Source C (Erard) Source D (Oaks) Source E (table) Source F (Cohen)



Source A

Berman, Russell A. “Foreign Language for Foreign Policy?” Inside Higher Ed. Inside Higher Ed, 23 Nov. 2010. Web. 8 May 2013.

The following is excerpted from an article on a Web site devoted to higher education.

These are troubled times for language programs in the United States, which have been battered by irresponsible cutbacks at all levels. Despite the chatter about globalization and multilateralism that has dominated public discourse in recent years, leaders in government and policy circles continue to live in a bubble of their own making, imagining that we can be global while refusing to learn the languages or learn about the cultures of the rest of the world. So it was surely encouraging that Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations and a fixture of the foreign policy establishment, agreed to deliver the keynote address at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Annual Convention in Boston on November 19.

Haass is a distinguished author, Oberlin- and Oxford-educated, and an influential voice in American debates. The good news is that in his talk, “Language as a Gateway to Global Communities,” Haass expressed strong support for increased foreign language learning opportunities. He recognized the important work that language instructors undertake as well as the crucial connection between language and culture: language learning is not just technical mastery of grammar but rather, in his words, a “gateway” to a thorough understanding of other societies. . . .

Haass claims that in an era of tight budgets, we need convincing arguments to rally support for languages. Of course that’s true, but—and this is the bad news—despite his support for language as a gateway to other cultures, he countenances only a narrowly instrumental defense for foreign language learning, limited to two rationales: national security and global economy. At the risk of schematizing his account too severely, this means: more Arabic for national security and more Mandarin, Hindi, and, en passant, Korean for the economy. It appears that in his view the only compelling arguments for language-learning involve equipping individual Americans to be better vehicles of national interest as defined by Washington. In fact, at a revealing moment in the talk, Haass boiled his own position down to a neat choice: Fallujah or Firenze. We need more Arabic to do better in Fallujah, i.e., so we could have been more effective in the Iraq War (or could be in the next one?), and we need less Italian because Italy (to his mind) is a place that is only about culture.

In this argument, Italian—like other European languages—is a luxury. There was no mention of French as a global language, with its crucial presence in Africa and North America. Haass even seems to regard Spanish as just one more European language, except perhaps that it might be useful to manage instability in Mexico. Such arguments that reduce language learning to foreign policy objectives get too simple too quickly. And they run the risk of destroying the same foreign language learning agenda they claim to defend. Language learning in Haass’s view ultimately becomes just a boot camp for our students to be better soldiers, more efficient in carrying out the projects of the foreign policy establishment. That program stands in stark contrast to a vision of language learning as part of an education of citizens who can think for themselves.

Haass’s account deserves attention: he is influential and thoughtful, and he is by no means alone in reducing the rationale for foreign language learning solely to national foreign policy needs. . . .Yet even on his own instrumental terms, Haass seemed to get it wrong. If language learning were primarily about plugging into large economies more successfully, then we should be offering more Japanese and German (still two very big economies after all), but they barely showed up on his map.



The much more important issue involves getting beyond instrumental thinking altogether, at least in the educational sphere. Second language acquisition is a key component of education because it builds student ability in language as such. Students who do well in a second language do better in their first language. With the core language skills—abilities to speak and to listen, to read and to write—come higher-order capacities: to interpret and understand, to recognize cultural difference, and, yes, to appreciate traditions, including one’s own. Language learning is not just an instrumental skill, any more than one’s writing ability is merely about learning to type on a keyboard. On the contrary, through language we become better thinkers, and that’s what education is about, at least outside Washington.



Source B

Thomas, David. “Why Do the English Need to Speak a Foreign Language When Foreigners All Speak English?” MailOnline [UK]. Associated Newspapers Ltd, 23 Jan. 2012. Web. 8 May 2013.

The following is excerpted from an online article in a British newspaper.

Department for Education figures show that fewer and fewer of us are learning a foreign language, while more and more foreigners are becoming multi-lingual. This, say distraught commentators, will condemn us pathetic Little Englanders to a life of dismal isolation while our educated, sophisticated, Euro-competitors chat away to foreign customers and steal all our business as a result.

In fact, I think those pupils who don’t learn other languages are making an entirely sensible decision. Learning foreign languages is a pleasant form of intellectual self-improvement: a genteel indulgence like learning to embroider or play the violin. A bit of French or Spanish comes in handy on holiday if you’re the sort of person who likes to reassure the natives that you’re more sophisticated than the rest of the tourist herd. But there’s absolutely no need to learn any one particular language unless you’ve got a specific professional use for it.

Consider the maths. There are roughly 6,900 living languages in the world. Europe alone has 234 languages spoken on a daily basis. So even if I was fluent in all the languages I’ve ever even begun to tackle, I’d only be able to speak to a minority of my fellow-Europeans in their mother tongues. And that’s before I’d so much as set foot in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

The planet’s most common first language is Mandarin Chinese, which has around 850 million speakers. Clearly, anyone seeking to do business in the massive Chinese market would do well to brush up on their Mandarin, although they might need a bit of help with those hundreds of millions of Chinese whose preferred dialect is Cantonese.

The only problem is that Mandarin is not spoken by anyone who is not Chinese, so it’s not much use in that equally significant 21st century powerhouse, India. Nor does learning one of the many languages used on the sub-Continent help one communicate with Arab or Turkish or Swahili-speakers.

There is, however, one language that does perform the magic trick of uniting the entire globe. If you ever go, as I have done, to one of the horrendous international junkets which film studios hold to promote their latest blockbusters, you’ll encounter a single extraordinary language that, say, the Brazilian, Swedish, Japanese and Italian reporters use both to chat with one another and question the American stars.

This is the language of science, commerce, global politics, aviation, popular music and, above all, the internet. It’s the language that 85 per cent of all Europeans learn as their second language; the language that has become the default tongue of the EU; the language that President Sarkozy of France uses with Chancellor Merkel of Germany when plotting how to stitch up the British.

This magical language is English. It unites the whole world in the way no other language can. It’s arguably the major reason why our little island has such a disproportionately massive influence on global culture: from Shakespeare to Harry Potter, from James Bond to the Beatles.

All those foreigners who are so admirably learning another language are learning the one we already know. So our school pupils don’t need to learn any foreign tongues. They might, of course, do well to become much, much better at speaking, writing, spelling and generally using English correctly. But that’s another argument altogether.

Daily Mail.



Source C

Erard, Michael. “Are We Really Monolingual?” New York Times. New York Times, 14 Jan. 2012. Web. 8 May 2013.

Unfortunately, we do not have the permission to reproduce “Are We Really Monolingual?” by Michael Erard on this web site.

The article was published in the New York Times.



Source D

Oaks, Ursula. “Foreign-Language Learning: What the United States Is Missing Out On.” Blog.NAFSA.org. NAFSA: Association of International Educators, 20 April 2010. Web. 8 May 2013.

The following is excerpted from a Weblog maintained by NAFSA, a leading professional association based in the United States and dedicated to international education.

It seemed a notably strange coincidence that the day after the Chronicle of Higher Education’s fascinating article about foreign-language acquisition and its remarkable contributions to the human mind and to society, Inside Higher Ed reported that George Washington University’s arts and sciences faculty had voted by an “overwhelming” margin not only to remove its foreign languages and cultures course requirement, but also to set up the new requirements in such a way that introductory foreign language courses can no longer count toward fulfilling any degree requirement in the college. At the same time, GW’s curricular reform is apparently “designed to promote student learning in areas such as global perspectives and oral communications.”

One wonders how “global perspectives” can happen without foreign language. But Catherine Porter (a former president of the Modern Language Association), writing in the Chronicle, puts it rather more bluntly. The lack of foreign-language learning in our society, she states, is “a devastating waste of potential.” Students who learn languages at an early age “consistently display enhanced cognitive abilities relative to their monolingual peers.” This isn’t about being able to impress their parents’ friends by piping up in Chinese at the dinner table—the research is showing that these kids can think better. Porter writes: “Demands that the language-learning process makes on the brain . . . make the brain more flexible and incite it to discover new patterns—and thus to create and maintain more circuits.”

But there’s so much more. Porter points out, as many others have, that in diplomatic, military, professional and commercial contexts, being monolingual is a significant handicap. In short, making the United States a more multilingual society would carry with it untold benefits: we would be more effective in global affairs, more comfortable in multicultural environments, and more nimble-minded and productive in daily life.

One of Porter’s most interesting observations, to me, was about how multilingualism enhances “brain fitness.” My own journey in languages is something for which I cannot claim any real foresight or deliberate intention, but by the age of 16, I spoke English, Hungarian, and French fluently. I’ve managed, through travel and personal and family connections, to maintain all three. One thing I know for sure is that when I get on the phone with my mother and talk to her in Hungarian for 20 minutes, or if I have to type out an email to a friend in Paris, afterwards I feel like I’ve had a mental jog on the treadmill: strangely energized, brain-stretched, more ready for any challenge, whether it’s cooking a new dish or drafting an op-ed. And the connective cultural tissue created by deep immersion in another language cannot be overstated. When I went to Hungary during grad school to research my thesis, I figured: no problem, it’s my native tongue. Yes, but I first learned it when I was a toddler, and never since then. The amount of preparation I had to do to be sure I didn’t miss nuance or cultural cues and didn’t draw conclusions based on erroneous translation, was significant, but well worth it. Time and again, I’ve realized how language can transform our interactions with one another. Porter’s article is a wake-up call that neglecting foreign-language learning is hurting our country in more ways than we realize.

Used with permission of NAFSA: Association of International Educators.



Source E

“Population 5 Years and Older Who Spoke a Language Other Than English at Home by Language Group and English-Speaking Ability: 2007.” Table in “Language Use in the United States: 2007.” United States Census Bureau. United States Census Bureau, April 2010. Web. 8 May 2013.

The following is adapted from a table in a report from the 2007 American Community Survey (United States Census Bureau) on language use in the United States.

Population 5 Years and Older Who Spoke a Language Other Than English at Home by Language Group and English-Speaking Ability: 2007

(For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/acs/www/)

Characteristic Total people English-speaking ability

Very well Well Not well Not at allNUMBER

Population 5 years and older 280,950,438 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Spoke only English at home 225,505,953 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Spoke a language other than English at home 55,444,485 30,975,474 10,962,722 9,011,298 4,494,991

Spoke a language other than English at home 55,444,485 30,975,474 10,962,722 9,011,298 4,494,991

Spanish or Spanish Creole 34,547,077 18,179,530 6,322,170 6,344,110 3,701,267

Other Indo-European languages 10,320,730 6,936,808 2,018,148 1,072,025 293,749

Asian and Pacific Island languages 8,316,426 4,274,794 2,176,180 1,412,264 453,188

Other languages 2,260,252 1,584,342 446,224 182,899 46,787

(X) Not applicable. Note: Margins of error for all estimates can be found in Appendix Table 1 at <www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/language/ appendix.html>. For more information on the ACS, see <www.census.gov/acs/www/>. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2007 American Community Survey.

www.census.gov/acs/www/

www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/language/appendix.html

www.census.gov/acs/www



Source F

Cohen, Paul. “The Rise and Fall of the American Linguistic Empire.” Dissent 59.4 (2012): 20-21. Web. 10 Sept. 2013.

Unfortunately, we do not have the permission to reproduce “The Rise and F all of the American Linguistic Empire” by Paul Cohen on this website.

The article was published in Dissent magazine.



Question 2

Suggested time—40 minutes.


On June 11, 2004, Margaret Thatcher, the former prime minister of Great Britain, delivered the following eulogy to the American people in honor of former United States president Ronald Reagan, with whom she had worked closely. Read the eulogy carefully. Then, in a well-developed essay, analyze the rhetorical strategies that Thatcher uses to convey her message.

We have lost a great president, a great American, and a great man, and I have lost a dear friend.

In his lifetime, Ronald Reagan was such a cheerful and invigorating presence that it was easy to forget what daunting historic tasks he set himself. He sought to mend America’s wounded spirit, to restore the strength of the free world, and to free the slaves of communism. These were causes hard to accomplish and heavy with risk, yet they were pursued with almost a lightness of spirit, for Ronald Reagan also 10

embodied another great cause, what Arnold Bennett once called “the great cause of cheering us all up.” His policies had a freshness and optimism that won converts from every class and every nation, and ultimately, from the very heart of the “evil empire.”1 15

Yet his humour often had a purpose beyond humour. In the terrible hours after the attempt on his life, his easy jokes gave reassurance to an anxious world. They were evidence that in the aftermath of terror and in the midst of hysteria one great heart at 20

least remained sane and jocular. They were truly grace under pressure. And perhaps they signified grace of a deeper kind. Ronnie himself certainly believed that he had been given back his life for a purpose. As he told a priest after his recovery, 25

“Whatever time I’ve got left now belongs to the big fella upstairs.” And surely, it is hard to deny that Ronald Reagan’s life was providential when we look at what he achieved in the eight years that followed.

Others prophesied the decline of the West. He 30

inspired America and its allies with renewed faith in their mission of freedom.

Others saw only limits to growth. He transformed a stagnant economy into an engine of opportunity.

Others hoped, at best, for an uneasy cohabitation 35

with the Soviet Union. He won the Cold War, not only without firing a shot, but also by inviting enemies out of their fortress and turning them into friends.

I cannot imagine how any diplomat or any 40

dramatist could improve on his words to Mikhail Gorbachev2 at the Geneva summit. “Let me

tell you why it is we distrust you.” Those words are candid and tough, and they cannot have been easy to hear. But they are also a clear invitation to a new 45

beginning and a new relationship that would be rooted in trust.

We live today in the world that Ronald Reagan began to reshape with those words. It is a very different world, with different challenges and new 50

dangers. All in all, however, it is one of greater freedom and prosperity, one more hopeful than the world he inherited on becoming president.

As Prime Minister, I worked closely with Ronald Reagan for eight of the most important years 55

of all our lives. We talked regularly, both before and after his presidency, and I’ve had time and cause to reflect on what made him a great president.

Ronald Reagan knew his own mind. He had firm principles and, I believe, right ones. He expounded 60

them clearly. He acted upon them decisively. When the world threw problems at the White House, he was not baffled or disorientated or overwhelmed.

He knew almost instinctively what to do. When his aides were preparing option papers for 65

his decision, they were able to cut out entire rafts of proposals that they knew the old man would never wear. When his allies came under Soviet or domestic pressure, they could look confidently to Washington for firm leadership, and when his enemies tested 70

American resolve, they soon discovered that his resolve was firm and unyielding.

Yet his ideas, so clear, were never simplistic. He saw the many sides of truth. Yes, he warned that the Soviet Union had an insatiable drive for military 75

power and territorial expansion, but he also sensed that it was being eaten away by systemic failures impossible to reform. Yes, he did not shrink from denouncing Moscow’s evil empire, but he realized that a man of good will might nonetheless emerge 80

from within its dark corridors. So the president resisted Soviet expansion and

pressed down on Soviet weakness at every point until the day came when communism began to collapse

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beneath the combined weight of those pressures and 85

its own failures. And when a man of good will did emerge from the ruins, President Reagan stepped forward to shake his hand and to offer sincere cooperation.

Nothing was more typical of Ronald Reagan than 90

that large-hearted magnanimity, and nothing was more American.

Therein lies perhaps the final explanation of his achievements. Ronald Reagan carried the American people with him in his great endeavours because there 95

was perfect sympathy between them. He and they loved America and what it stands for: freedom and opportunity for ordinary people.

1 A phrase used by Reagan to describe the Soviet Union

2 The leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991


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Question 3

Suggested time—40 minutes.


In 1891, Irish author Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) observed, “Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.”

Wilde claims that disobedience is a valuable human trait and that it promotes social progress. Write an essay that argues your position on the extent to which Wilde’s claims are valid. Use appropriate examples from your reading, experience, or observations to support your argument.

STOP

END OF EXAM

AP® English Language and Composition 2016 Scoring Guidelines

© 2016 The College Board. College Board, Advanced Placement Program, AP, AP Central, and the acorn logo are registered trademarks of the College Board. Visit the College Board on the Web: www.collegeboard.org. AP Central is the official online home for the AP Program: apcentral.collegeboard.org.

AP® ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION 2016 SCORING GUIDELINES


Question 1 The essay’s score should reflect the essay’s quality as a whole. Remember that students had only 15 minutes to read the sources and 40 minutes to write; the essay, therefore, is not a finished product and should not be judged by standards appropriate for an out-of-class assignment. Evaluate the essay as a draft, making certain to reward students for what they do well. All essays, even those scored 8 or 9, may contain occasional lapses in analysis, prose style, or mechanics. Such features should enter into your holistic evaluation of an essay’s overall quality. In no case should you give a score higher than a 2 to a paper with errors in grammar and mechanics that persistently interfere with your understanding of meaning. ___________________________________________________________________________________________

9 – Essays earning a score of 9 meet the criteria for the score of 8 and, in addition, are especially sophisticated in their argument, thorough in development, or impressive in their control of language.

8 – Effective Essays earning a score of 8 effectively argue a position on whether monolingual English speakers are at a disadvantage today. They develop their argument by effectively synthesizing* at least three of the sources. The evidence and explanations used are appropriate and convincing. Their prose demonstrates a consistent ability to control a wide range of the elements of effective writing but is not necessarily flawless.

7 – Essays earning a score of 7 meet the criteria for the score of 6 but provide more complete explanation, more thorough development, or a more mature prose style.

6 – Adequate Essays earning a score of 6 adequately argue a position on whether monolingual English speakers are at a disadvantage today. They develop their argument by adequately synthesizing at least three of the sources. The evidence and explanations used are appropriate and sufficient. The language may contain lapses in diction or syntax, but generally the prose is clear. 5 – Essays earning a score of 5 argue a position on whether monolingual English speakers are at a disadvantage today. They develop their argument by synthesizing at least three sources, but how they use and explain sources may be uneven, inconsistent, or limited. The student’s argument is generally clear, and the sources generally develop the student’s position, but the links between the sources and the argument may be strained. The writing may contain lapses in diction or syntax, but it usually conveys the student’s ideas. 4 – Inadequate Essays earning a score of 4 inadequately argue a position on whether monolingual English speakers are at a disadvantage today. They develop their argument by synthesizing at least two sources, but the evidence or explanations used may be inappropriate, insufficient, or unconvincing. The sources may dominate the student’s attempts at development, the link between the argument and the sources may be weak, or the student may misunderstand, misrepresent, or oversimplify the sources. The prose generally conveys the student’s ideas but may be inconsistent in controlling the elements of effective writing.



Question 1 (continued)

3 – Essays earning a score of 3 meet the criteria for the score of 4 but demonstrate less success in arguing a position on whether monolingual English speakers are at a disadvantage today. They are less perceptive in their understanding of the sources, or their explanation or examples may be particularly limited or simplistic. The essays may show less maturity in their control of writing.

2 – Little Success Essays earning a score of 2 demonstrate little success in arguing a position on whether monolingual English speakers are at a disadvantage today. They may merely allude to knowledge gained from reading the sources rather than citing the sources themselves. The student may misread the sources, fail to develop a position, or substitute a simpler task by merely summarizing or categorizing the sources or by merely responding to the prompt tangentially with unrelated, inaccurate, or inappropriate explanation. The prose often demonstrates consistent weaknesses in writing, such as grammatical problems, a lack of development or organization, or a lack of control.

1 – Essays earning a score of 1 meet the criteria for the score of 2 but are undeveloped, especially simplistic in their explanation, weak in their control of writing, or do not allude to or cite even one source.

0 – Indicates an off-topic response, one that merely repeats the prompt, an entirely crossed-out response, a drawing, or a response in a language other than English. — Indicates an entirely blank response. ∗ For the purposes of scoring, synthesis means using sources to develop a position and citing them accurately.



Question 2

The essay’s score should reflect the essay’s quality as a whole. Remember that students had only 40 minutes to read and write; the essay, therefore, is not a finished product and should not be judged by standards appropriate for an out-of-class assignment. Evaluate the essay as a draft, making certain to reward students for what they do well. All essays, even those scored 8 or 9, may contain occasional lapses in analysis, prose style, or mechanics. Such features should enter into your holistic evaluation of an essay’s overall quality. In no case should you give a score higher than a 2 to an essay with errors in grammar and mechanics that persistently interfere with your understanding of meaning. ___________________________________________________________________________________________

9 – Essays earning a score of 9 meet the criteria for the score of 8 and, in addition, are especially sophisticated in their argument, thorough in their development, or impressive in their control of language.

8 – Effective Essays earning a score of 8 effectively analyze* the rhetorical strategies that Thatcher uses to convey her message. They develop their analysis with evidence and explanations that are appropriate and convincing, referring to the passage explicitly or implicitly. The prose demonstrates a consistent ability to control a wide range of the elements of effective writing but is not necessarily flawless.

7 – Essays earning a score of 7 meet the criteria for the score of 6 but provide more complete explanation, more thorough development, or a more mature prose style.

6 – Adequate Essays earning a score of 6 adequately analyze the rhetorical strategies that Thatcher uses to convey her message. They develop their analysis with evidence and explanations that are appropriate and sufficient, referring to the passage explicitly or implicitly. The writing may contain lapses in diction or syntax, but generally the prose is clear. 5 – Essays earning a score of 5 analyze the rhetorical strategies that Thatcher uses to convey her message. The evidence or explanations used may be uneven, inconsistent, or limited. The writing may contain lapses in diction or syntax, but it usually conveys the student’s ideas. 4 – Inadequate Essays earning a score of 4 inadequately analyze the rhetorical strategies that Thatcher uses to convey her message. These essays may misunderstand the passage, misrepresent the strategies Thatcher uses, or analyze these strategies insufficiently. The evidence or explanations used may be inappropriate, insufficient, or unconvincing. The prose generally conveys the student’s ideas but may be inconsistent in controlling the elements of effective writing.



Question 2 (continued)

3 – Essays earning a score of 3 meet the criteria for the score of 4 but demonstrate less success in analyzing the rhetorical strategies that Thatcher uses to convey her message. They are less perceptive in their understanding of the passage or Thatcher’s strategies, or the explanations or examples may be particularly limited or simplistic. The essays may show less maturity in their control of writing.

2 – Little Success Essays earning a score of 2 demonstrate little success in analyzing the rhetorical strategies that Thatcher uses to convey her message. The student may misunderstand the prompt, misread the passage, fail to analyze the strategies Thatcher uses, or substitute a simpler task by responding to the prompt tangentially with unrelated, inaccurate, or inappropriate explanation. The prose often demonstrates consistent weaknesses in writing, such as grammatical problems, a lack of development or organization, or a lack of control.

1 – Essays earning a score of 1 meet the criteria for the score of 2 but are undeveloped, especially simplistic in their explanation, or weak in their control of language.

0 – Indicates an off-topic response, one that merely repeats the prompt, an entirely crossed-out response,

a drawing, or a response in a language other than English. — Indicates an entirely blank response. * For the purposes of scoring, analysis means explaining the rhetorical choices an author makes in an attempt to achieve a particular effect or purpose.



Question 3 The essay’s score should reflect the essay’s quality as a whole. Remember that students had only 40 minutes to read and write; the essay, therefore, is not a finished product and should not be judged by standards appropriate for an out-of-class assignment. Evaluate the essay as a draft, making certain to reward students for what they do well. All essays, even those scored 8 or 9, may contain occasional lapses in analysis, prose style, or mechanics. Such features should enter into your holistic evaluation of an essay’s overall quality. In no case should you give a score higher than a 2 to an essay with errors in grammar and mechanics that persistently interfere with your understanding of meaning. ___________________________________________________________________________________________

9 – Essays earning a score of 9 meet the criteria for the score of 8 and, in addition, are especially sophisticated in their argument, thorough in their development, or particularly impressive in their control of language.

8 – Effective Essays earning a score of 8 effectively argue a position on the extent to which Wilde’s claims are valid. The evidence and explanations used are appropriate and convincing, and the argument* is especially coherent and well developed. The prose demonstrates a consistent ability to control a wide range of the elements of effective writing but is not necessarily flawless.

7 – Essays earning a score of 7 meet the criteria for the score of 6 but provide a more complete explanation, more thorough development, or a more mature prose style.

6 – Adequate Essays earning a score of 6 adequately argue a position on the extent to which Wilde’s claims are valid. The evidence and explanations used are appropriate and sufficient, and the argument is coherent and adequately developed. The writing may contain lapses in diction or syntax, but generally the prose is clear. 5 – Essays earning a score of 5 argue a position on the extent to which Wilde’s claims are valid. The evidence or explanations used may be uneven, inconsistent, or limited. The writing may contain lapses in diction or syntax, but it usually conveys the student’s ideas. 4 – Inadequate Essays earning a score of 4 inadequately argue a position on the extent to which Wilde’s claims are valid. The evidence or explanations used may be inappropriate, insufficient, or unconvincing. The argument may have lapses in coherence or be inadequately developed. The prose generally conveys the student’s ideas but may be inconsistent in controlling the elements of effective writing.

3 – Essays earning a score of 3 meet the criteria for the score of 4 but demonstrate less success in arguing a position on the extent to which Wilde’s claims are valid. The essays may show less maturity in their control of writing.



Question 3 (continued) 2 – Little Success Essays earning a score of 2 demonstrate little success in arguing a position on the extent to which Wilde’s claims are valid. The student may misunderstand the prompt or substitute a simpler task by responding to the prompt tangentially with unrelated, inaccurate, or inappropriate explanation. The prose often demonstrates consistent weaknesses in writing, such as grammatical problems, a lack of development or organization, or a lack of coherence and control.

1 – Essays earning a score of 1 meet the criteria for the score of 2 but are undeveloped, especially simplistic in their explanation and argument, weak in their control of language, or especially lacking in coherence and development.

0 – Indicates an off-topic response, one that merely repeats the prompt, an entirely crossed-out response, a drawing or a response in a language other than English. — Indicates an entirely blank response. * For the purposes of scoring, argument means asserting a claim justified by evidence and/or reasoning.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT-HOLDERS AND PUBLISHERS Permission to reproduce all copyright material has been applied for. In some cases, efforts to contact copyright-holders have been unsuccessful and AQA will be happy to rectify any omissions of acknowledgements in future papers if notified. Text A: www.mumsnet.com Text B: www.mirror.co.uk/money/personal-finance/boys-now-spending-much-girls-1962555. Bond image: Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy and Mirrorpix. Additional images © Thinkstock. Copyright © 2014 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved.

2015 Morning Time allowed: 1 hour 30 minutes Materials For this paper you must have: • an AQA 12-page answer booklet • data booklet to accompany the question paper. Instructions • Use black ink or black ball-point pen. • Write the information required on the front of your answer book. The Examining Body for this paper is AQA. The Paper Reference is 7701/1. • Answer all questions. • Do all rough work in your answer book. Cross through any work that you do not want to be marked. Information • The maximum mark for this paper is 70. • The marks for questions are shown in brackets. • There are 25 marks for Question 1, 25 marks for Question 2 and 20 marks for Question 3. • You will be marked on your ability to:

– use good English – organise information clearly – use specialist vocabulary where appropriate.

Advice • It is recommended that you spend 20 minutes reading and preparing the texts. It is

recommended that you spend 25 minutes writing your Question 1 answer, 25 minutes writing your Question 2 answer and 20 minutes writing your Question 3 answer.

AS ENGLISH LANGUAGE (7701/1) Paper 1: Language and the Individual

SPECIMEN MATERIAL

2

Textual Variations and Representations

Answer all questions. Text A – This is the first page of a forum on school proms from the website www.mumsnet.com. See pages 2 and 3 of the data booklet.

Text B – This is from an article on prom outfits from The Mirror website. See pages 4 and 5 of the data booklet.

Analyse how Text A uses language to create meanings and representations. [25 marks]

Analyse how Text B uses language to create meanings and representations. [25 marks]

Compare and contrast Text A and Text B, showing ways in which they are similar and different in their language use.

[20 marks]

END OF QUESTIONS

Copyright © 2014 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved.

0 2

0 3

0 1

AS

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

(7701/1)

Paper 1: Language and the Individual

Mark scheme

Specimen Material

Final Version

Mark schemes are prepared by the Lead Assessment Writer and considered, together with the relevant questions, by a panel of subject teachers. This mark scheme includes any amendments made at the standardisation events that all associates participate in and is the scheme that was used by them in this examination. The standardisation process ensures that the mark scheme covers the students’ responses to questions and that every associate understands and applies it in the same correct way. As preparation for standardisation each associate analyses a number of students’ scripts: alternative answers not already covered by the mark scheme are discussed and legislated for. If, after the standardisation process, associates encounter unusual answers that have not been raised they are required to refer these to the Lead Assessment Writer. It must be stressed that a mark scheme is a working document, in many cases it is developed further and expanded on the basis of students’ reactions to a particular paper. Assumptions about future mark schemes on the basis of one year’s document should be avoided: whilst the guiding principles of assessment remain constant, details will change, depending on the content of a particular examination paper. Further copies of this mark scheme are available from aqa.org.uk

Copyright © 2014 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. AQA retains the copyright on all its publications. However, registered schools/colleges for AQA are permitted to copy material from this booklet for their own internal use, with the following important exception: AQA cannot give permission to schools/colleges to photocopy any material that is acknowledged to a third party, even for internal use within the centre.

http://www.aqa.org.uk/

MARK SCHEME – AS ENGLISH LANGUAGE PAPER 1 – 7701/1 – SPECIMEN

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English Language Mark Scheme

How to Mark

Aims When you are marking your allocation of scripts your main aims should be to: x recognise and identify the achievements of students x place students in the appropriate mark band and in the appropriate part of that mark band

(high, low, middle) for each Assessment Objective x record your judgements with brief notes, annotations and comments that are relevant to the

mark scheme and make it clear to other examiners how you have arrived at the numerical mark awarded for each Assessment Objective

x put into a rank order the achievements of students (not to grade them – that is done later using the rank order that your marking has produced)

x ensure comparability of assessment for all students, regardless of question or examiner. Approach It is important to be open minded and positive when marking scripts. The specification recognises the variety of experiences and knowledge that students will have. It encourages them to study language in a way that is relevant to them. The questions have been designed to give them opportunities to discuss what they have found out about language. It is important to assess the quality of what the student offers. Do not mark scripts as though they were mere shadows of some Platonic ideal (or the answer you would have written). The mark schemes have been composed to assess quality of response and not to identify expected items of knowledge.

Assessment Objectives This component requires students to: AO1: Apply appropriate methods of language analysis, using associated terminology and

coherent written expression AO3: Analyse and evaluate how contextual factors and language features are associated with the

construction of meaning AO4: Explore connections across texts, informed by linguistic concepts and methods. The Marking Grids The specification has generic marking grids for each Assessment Objective that are customised with indicative content for individual tasks. These have been designed to allow assessment of the range of knowledge, understanding and skills that the specification demands. Within each Assessment Objective there are five broad levels representing different levels of achievement. Do not think of levels equalling grade boundaries.


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On the left hand-side of the mark scheme, in bold, are the generic descriptors that identify the performance characteristics at 5 distinct levels.

On the right hand side are statements of indicative content. These give examples of the kind of things students might do that would exemplify the level. They are neither exhaustive nor required – they are simply indicative of what would appear at this level. You will find that they sometimes indicate areas of content that can be handled with increasing sophistication and subtlety. You will also find statements that only characterise work at the bottom or top of the range. Depending on the part of the examination, the levels will have different mark ranges assigned to them. This will reflect the different weighting of Assessment Objectives in particular tasks and across the examination as a whole. You may be required to give different marks to bands for different Assessment Objectives. Using the Grids These levels of response mark schemes are broken down into five levels, each of which has descriptors. The descriptors for the level show the performance characteristics of the level. There is the same number of marks in each level for an individual Assessment Objective. The number of marks per level will vary from two to four between different Assessment Objectives depending upon the number of marks allocated to the various Assessment Objectives covered by a particular question. Having familiarised yourself with the descriptors and indicative content, read through the answer and annotate it (as instructed below) to identify the qualities that are being looked for and that it shows. You can now check the levels and award a mark. Step 1 Determine a level Start at the lowest level of the mark scheme and use it as a ladder to see whether the answer meets the descriptors for that level. The descriptors for the level indicate the different qualities that might be seen in the student’s answer for that level. If it meets all the descriptors for the lowest level then go to the next one and decide if it meets this level, and so on, until you have a match between the level descriptors and the answer. With practice and familiarity you will find that for better answers you will be able to skip through the lower levels of the mark scheme quickly. When assigning a level you should look at the overall quality of the answer and not look to pick holes in small and specific parts of the answer where the student has not performed quite as well as the rest. If the answer covers different aspects of different levels of the mark scheme you should use a best-fit approach for defining the level and then use the variability of the response to help decide the mark within the level; ie if the response fulfils most but not all of level 3 with a small amount of level 4 material, it would be placed in level 3 but be awarded a mark near the top of the level because of the level 4 content. Step 2 Determine a mark Once you have assigned a level you need to decide on the mark.

It is often best to start in the middle of the level’s mark range and then check and adjust. If there is a lot of indicative content fully identifiable in the work you need to give the highest mark in the level. If only some is identifiable or it is only partially fulfilled, then give the lower mark.


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The exemplar materials used during standardisation will also help. There will be an answer in the standardising materials that will correspond with each level of the mark scheme. This answer will have been awarded a mark by the Lead Examiner. You can compare the student’s answer with the example to determine if it is of the same standard, better or worse than the example. You can then use this to allocate a mark for the answer based on the Lead Examiner’s mark on the example. You may well need to read back through the answer as you apply the mark scheme to clarify points and assure yourself that the level and the mark are appropriate. In addition to the generic descriptors (presented in bold text), paper-specific indicative descriptors (presented in plain text) are provided as a guide for examiners. These are not intended to be exhaustive and you must credit other valid points. An answer that contains nothing of relevance to the question must be awarded no marks. Annotating scripts It is vital that the way you arrive at a mark should be recorded on the script. This will help you with making accurate judgements and it will help any subsequent markers to identify how you are thinking, should adjustment need to be made. To this end you should: x identify points of merit with 9 or 99 if they are from the top 2 levels

(ensure that you don’t go into automatic ticking mode where you tick rhythmically every 10 lines – ticks should engage with the detail of a student’s thinking and analysis)

x write notes in the margin commenting on the answer’s relationship to the AOs/grid/key words/focus

x indicate extended irrelevance with a vertical line x identify errors of factual accuracy, or where clarity is in doubt, with a question mark x identify errors of spelling or punctuation by underlining, eg sentance x write a summative comment at the end for each Assessment Objective x indicate the marks for each Assessment Objective being tested at the end of the answer in

the margin in sequence. Please do not write negative comments about students’ work or their alleged aptitudes; this is unprofessional and it impedes a positive marking approach.

Distribution of Assessment Objectives and Weightings The table below is a reminder of which Assessment Objectives will be tested by the questions and tasks completed by students and the marks available for them. Assessment

Objective AO1 AO3 AO4 Total

Question 1 10 15 25 Question 2 10 15 25 Question 3 20 20 70


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Textual Variations and Representations Questions 1 and 2 x Award a mark out of 10 for AO1, place in the right-hand margin and ring.

x Award a mark out of 15 for AO3, place in the right-hand margin and ring.

eg AO1 Summative Comment 7 AO3 Summative Comment 11

Question 3 x Award a mark out of 20 for AO4, place in the right-hand margin and ring.

eg AO4 Summative Comment 16

Transfer each ringed mark to the box on the front of the answer booklet. Add together and put the total mark in the box in the top right-hand corner. Initial your mark.


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Section A: Textual Variations and Representations

01 Analyse how Text A uses language to create meanings and representations

AO1: Apply appropriate methods of language analysis, using associated terminology and coherent written expression Level/Marks PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS

INDICATIVE CONTENT These are examples of ways students’ work might exemplify the performance characteristics in the question above. They indicate possible content and how it can be treated at different levels.

Level 5

9‒10

Students will: x apply linguistic methods and

terminology, identifying patterns and complexities

x apply different levels of language analysis in an integrated way, recognising how they are connected

x apply levels of language analysis with rare errors

x guide the reader

Students are likely to describe features such as: x clause types x clause order x clause linking x cohesion x antithesis x visual design, structure and webpage

navigation

Level 4

7‒8


terminology with precision and detail x apply two or more levels of language

analysis x apply levels of language analysis

with occasional errors x develop a line of argument

Students are likely to describe features such as: x tenses: present, past x superlative adjectives x ellipsis x noun phrases x noun types x sentence types: simple, compound-complex x semantic fields x dysphemism x discourse markers

Level 3

5‒6


terminology consistently and appropriately

x label features that have value for the task

x label features with more accuracy than inaccuracy

x communicate with clear topics and paragraphs

Students are likely to describe features such as: x word classes: verbs, adjectives, nouns x pronouns x interrogatives/questions x imperatives x declaratives x connotations x hyperlinks, tabs x colloquialisms x initialisms x graphological features: emoticons, bold font

Level 2

3‒4

Students will: x use linguistic methods and

terminology inconsistently and sometimes without value for the task

x generalise about language use with limited/unclear evidence

x label features with more inaccuracy than accuracy

x express ideas with organisation emerging

Students are likely to: x refer to elements of language that do not

illuminate the analysis x make unsupported generalisations about

nature of sentences x use a linguistic register of very general terms

eg sentence and word x quote imprecisely to illustrate descriptions x mislabel word classes and sentences x discuss formality, complexity at a generalised


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level

Level 1 1‒2

Students will: x quote or identify features of

language without linguistic description

x present material with limited organisation

Students are likely to: x quote relevant examples without any linguistic

examples

0 Nothing written


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01 Analyse how Text A uses language to create meanings and representations.

AO3: Analyse and evaluate how contextual factors and language features are associated with the construction of meaning in Text A

Level/Marks PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS


Level 5

13‒15

Students will: x explore use of language and

representations according to context

Students are likely to: x explore affordances and constraints of message

board context x explore how values and attitudes are conveyed

eg “It’s crazy” x explore the representation of the mumsnet site as

helpful and authoritative eg “The country’s most popular meeting place for parents”, “We’re hiring”

x evaluate the representation of the mumsnet community eg “We don’t allow personal attacks”

Level 4

10‒12

Students will: x analyse how language choices

create meanings and representations

x analyse how aspects of context work together to affect language use

Students are likely to: x analyse how audience is positioned eg “Yes

Kayano …” x analyse how language is used to represent

school proms: personal, humorous eg “Although the helicopter is way OTT!”

x analyse representations of children eg “DD”, “precious teens”

x analyse self-representation of users eg “MuckyCarpet”, “old puritan”

Level 3

7‒9

Students will: x interpret significance of specific

choices of language according to context

x link specific language choices with an aspect of context

Students are likely to: x interpret vocabulary used to describe school

proms eg “limo hire”, “tiaras” x examine use of first- second- and third-person

address x describe use of interactive features eg “Add

message”, “Flip this thread” Level 2

4‒6

Students will: x identify distinctive features of

language and significant aspects of context

Students are likely to: x identify and exemplify purposes of the text to

express, persuade x identify language reflecting parent/family member

users eg “my DD”, “my sister’s school” x identify language about proms/message board

features (lexis, emoticons, shortenings, ellipsis ) Level 1

1‒3

Students will: x paraphrase or describe content of

texts x misunderstand text or context

Students are likely to: x give factual information about message board,

producers and users x show literal understanding of information x rely on lengthy quotations

0 Nothing written about the text or topic


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02 Analyse how Text B uses language to create meanings and representations

AO1: Apply appropriate methods of language analysis, using associated terminology and coherent written expression Level/Marks

PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS


Level

5

9‒10


terminology, identifying patterns and complexities

x apply different levels of language analysis in an integrated way, recognising how they are connected

x apply levels of language analysis with rare errors

x guide the reader

Students are likely to describe features such as: x parallel clauses x clause types x clause order x clause linking x antithesis x cohesion x visual design, structure and webpage navigation

Level 4

7‒8


terminology with precision and detail x apply two or more levels of language

analysis x apply levels of language analysis with

occasional errors x develop a line of argument

Students are likely to describe features such as: x tenses: present x noun phrases x noun types x sentence types: simple, compound-complex x semantic fields x euphemism x discourse markers x address x ellipsis x asyndetic listing x metaphor

Level 3

5‒6


terminology consistently and appropriately

x label features that have value for the task

x label features with more accuracy than inaccuracy

x communicate with clear topics and paragraphs

Students are likely to describe features such as: x word classes: verbs, adjectives, nouns x pronouns x interrogatives/questions x declaratives x connotations x hyperlinks x colloquialisms x graphological features: emoticons, bold font

Level 2

3‒4

Students will: x use linguistic methods and terminology

inconsistently and sometimes without value for the task

x generalise about language use with limited/unclear evidence

x label features with more inaccuracy than accuracy

Students are likely to: x refer to elements of language that do not

illuminate the analysis x make unsupported generalisations about nature

of sentences x use a linguistic register of very general terms eg

sentence and word x quote imprecisely to illustrate descriptions


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x express ideas with organisation emerging

x mislabel word classes and sentences x discuss formality, complexity at a generalised

level Level

1 1‒2

Students will: x quote or identify features of language

without linguistic description x present material with limited

organisation

Students are likely to: x quote relevant examples without any linguistic

examples

0 Nothing written 02 Analyse how Text B uses language to create meanings and

representations. AO3: Analyse and evaluate how contextual factors and language features are associated with the construction of meaning in Text B



Level 5

13‒15

Students will: x explore use of language and

representations according to context

Students are likely to: x explore journalistic style and representation of

topic eg “they head to beauty salons for head-to-toe treatments”

x explore how values and attitudes are conveyed eg directly quoted authority “Debenhams spokesman Ed Watson said …”

x explore patterns of metaphor eg “snowballed”, “budding”

x explore the representation of the Mirror Money site as helpful and authoritative eg “Advice you can count on”

x explore representations of gender “boys get a glam makeover to keep up with the girls”

x explore intertextual and design features

Level 4

10‒12

Students will: x analyse how language choices

create meanings and representations

x analyse how aspects of context work together to affect language use

Students are likely to: x analyse how audience is positioned eg “See

more stories you’ll love” x analyse how language is used to represent

school proms eg “American-style prom nights” x analyse representations of gender eg “prom

kings”, “polished, groomed look”, “would-be bride”

x analyse effects of coinage eg “monobrow”, “’Promzilla’”

Level 3

7‒9

Students will: x interpret significance of specific

choices of language according to context

x link specific language choices with an aspect of context

Students are likely to: x interpret vocabulary used to represent school

proms “High School Musical-style prom nights” x interpret vocabulary used to represent costs eg

“spending 24% more on their outfit than a year ago”

x examine use of third-person reporting eg “by


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Ruki Sayid”

Level 2

4‒6

Students will: x identify distinctive features of

language and significant aspects of context

Students are likely to: x identify language reflecting potential audience

of Text B as financially concerned web surfers x identify and exemplify purposes to express,

inform and entertain x identify language about proms/message board

features (lexis, emoticons, shortenings, ellipsis)

Level 1

1‒3

Students will: x paraphrase or describe content of

texts x misunderstand text or context

Students are likely to: x give factual information about online newspaper

article, producers and audiences x show literal understanding of information x rely on lengthy quotations



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03 Compare and contrast Text A and Text B, showing ways in which they are similar and different in their language use.

AO4: Explore connections across texts, informed by linguistic concepts and methods



Level 5

17-20

Students will: x explore the significance of

connections found across texts

Students are likely to: x explore effects of internet contexts on language

use, representations and meanings x explore effects of social/cultural contexts on

language use, representations and meanings x explore creation of discourses about school

proms and their participants x explore effects of financial contexts on

language use, representations and meanings x explore effects of celebrity contexts on

language use, representations and meanings

Level 4

13-16

Students will: x examine connections between texts

by linking language and context

Students are likely to: x examine internet contexts and visual

presentation x examine media contexts: web-based

forum/online newspaper report and language use

x examine educational contexts and language use

x examine financial contexts and language use x contrast use of sentence types and functions

Level 3

9-12

Students will: x make connections across texts by

identifying similar or different uses of language/content/context

Students are likely to: x compare use of first, second and third-person

discourses x describe degrees of interactivity x compare how language is used to describe

social norms and behaviour x compare vocabulary used to describe proms x compare and contrast other uses of language

Level 2

5-8

Students will: x make connections at a literal level

Students are likely to: x compare audiences/users x compare topics x contrast writers/producers x contrast genres

Level 1

1‒4

Students will: x discuss relevant aspects of texts

without making connections explicitly

Students are likely to: x make one/two explicit connections (4) x make implicit connections by using similar

topics for paragraphs (3) x write about each text separately (2) x write about one text only (1)



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AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (registered charity number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee registered in

England and Wales (company number 3644723). Registered address: AQA, Devas Street, Manchester M15 6EX

20 October 2014

AS

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

(7701/2)

Paper 2: Language Varieties

Mark scheme

Specimen Material

Final Version

Mark schemes are prepared by the Lead Assessment Writer and considered, together with the relevant questions, by a panel of subject teachers. This mark scheme includes any amendments made at the standardisation events that all associates participate in and is the scheme that was used by them in this examination. The standardisation process ensures that the mark scheme covers the students’ responses to questions and that every associate understands and applies it in the same correct way. As preparation for standardisation each associate analyses a number of students’ scripts: alternative answers not already covered by the mark scheme are discussed and legislated for. If, after the standardisation process, associates encounter unusual answers that have not been raised they are required to refer these to the Lead Assessment Writer. It must be stressed that a mark scheme is a working document, in many cases it is developed further and expanded on the basis of students’ reactions to a particular paper. Assumptions about future mark schemes on the basis of one year’s document should be avoided: whilst the guiding principles of assessment remain constant, details will change, depending on the content of a particular examination paper. Further copies of this mark scheme are available from aqa.org.uk

Copyright © 2014 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. AQA retains the copyright on all its publications. However, registered schools/colleges for AQA are permitted to copy material from this booklet for their own internal use, with the following important exception: AQA cannot give permission to schools/colleges to photocopy any material that is acknowledged to a third party, even for internal use within the centre.

http://www.aqa.org.uk/


3 of 14

English Language Mark Scheme

How to Mark

Aims When you are marking your allocation of scripts your main aims should be to: • recognise and identify the achievements of students • place students in the appropriate mark band and in the appropriate part of that mark band

(high, low, middle) for each Assessment Objective • record your judgements with brief notes, annotations and comments that are relevant to the

mark scheme and make it clear to other examiners how you have arrived at the numerical mark awarded for each Assessment Objective

• put into a rank order the achievements of students (not to grade them – that is done later using the rank order that your marking has produced)

• ensure comparability of assessment for all students, regardless of question or examiner. Approach It is important to be open minded and positive when marking scripts. The specification recognises the variety of experiences and knowledge that students will have. It encourages them to study language in a way that is relevant to them. The questions have been designed to give them opportunities to discuss what they have found out about language. It is important to assess the quality of what the student offers. Do not mark scripts as though they were mere shadows of some Platonic ideal (or the answer you would have written). The mark schemes have been composed to assess quality of response and not to identify expected items of knowledge.

Assessment Objectives This component requires students to: AO1: Apply appropriate methods of language analysis, using associated terminology and

coherent written expression AO2: Demonstrate critical understanding of concepts and issues relevant to language use AO5: Demonstrate expertise and creativity in the use of English to communicate in different

ways. The Marking Grids The specification has generic marking grids for each Assessment Objective that are customised with indicative content for individual tasks. These have been designed to allow assessment of the range of knowledge, understanding and skills that the specification demands. Within each Assessment Objective there are five broad levels representing different levels of achievement. Do not think of levels equalling grade boundaries.


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On the left hand-side of the mark scheme, in bold, are the generic descriptors that identify the performance characteristics at 5 distinct levels.

On the right hand side are statements of indicative content. These give examples of the kind of things students might do that would exemplify the level. They are neither exhaustive nor required – they are simply indicative of what would appear at this level. You will find that they sometimes indicate areas of content that can be handled with increasing sophistication and subtlety. You will also find statements which only characterise work at the bottom or top of the range. Depending on the part of the examination, the levels will have different mark ranges assigned to them. This will reflect the different weighting of Assessment Objectives in particular tasks and across the examination as a whole. You may be required to give different marks to bands for different Assessment Objectives.

NB In Section A, there is no additional indicative content for AO1. This is because the types of skills being tested in the essay questions are generic: applying linguistic methods, using a linguistic register and structuring an answer. The performance characteristics will suffice to help you locate the level of the work presented. Using the Grids These level of response mark schemes are broken down into five levels, each of which has descriptors. The descriptors for the level show the performance characteristics of the level. There is the same number of marks in each level for an individual Assessment Objective. The number of marks per level will vary from two to four between different Assessment Objectives depending upon the number of marks allocated to the various Assessment Objectives covered by a particular question. Having familiarised yourself with the descriptors and indicative content, read through the answer and annotate it (as instructed below) to identify the qualities that are being looked for and that it shows. You can now check the levels and award a mark. Step 1 Determine a level Start at the lowest level of the mark scheme and use it as a ladder to see whether the answer meets the descriptors for that level. The descriptors for the level indicate the different qualities that might be seen in the student’s answer for that level. If it meets all the descriptors for the lowest level then go to the next one and decide if it meets this level, and so on, until you have a match between the level descriptors and the answer. With practice and familiarity you will find that for better answers you will be able to skip through the lower levels of the mark scheme quickly. When assigning a level you should look at the overall quality of the answer and not look to pick holes in small and specific parts of the answer where the student has not performed quite as well as the rest. If the answer covers different aspects of different levels of the mark scheme you should use a best-fit approach for defining the level and then use the variability of the response to help decide the mark within the level; ie if the response fulfils most but not all of level 3 with a small amount of level 4 material, it would be placed in level 3 but be awarded a mark near the top of the level because of the level 4 content. Step 2 Determine a mark Once you have assigned a level you need to decide on the mark.


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It is often best to start in the middle of the level’s mark range and then check and adjust. If there is a lot of indicative content fully identifiable in the work you need to give the highest mark in the level. If only some is identifiable or it is only partially fulfilled, then give the lower mark. The exemplar materials used during standardisation will also help. There will be an answer in the standardising materials that will correspond with each level of the mark scheme. This answer will have been awarded a mark by the Lead Examiner. You can compare the student’s answer with the example to determine if it is of the same standard, better or worse than the example. You can then use this to allocate a mark for the answer based on the Lead Examiner’s mark on the example. You may well need to read back through the answer as you apply the mark scheme to clarify points and assure yourself that the level and the mark are appropriate. In addition to the generic descriptors (presented in bold text), paper-specific indicative descriptors (presented in plain text) are provided as a guide for examiners. These are not intended to be exhaustive and you must credit other valid points. An answer that contains nothing of relevance to the question must be awarded no marks. Annotating scripts It is vital that the way you arrive at a mark should be recorded on the script. This will help you with making accurate judgements and it will help any subsequent markers to identify how you are thinking, should adjustment need to be made. To this end you should: • identify points of merit with 9 or 99 if they are from the top 2 levels

(ensure that you don’t go into automatic ticking mode where you tick rhythmically every 10 lines – ticks should engage with the detail of a student’s thinking and analysis)

• write notes in the margin commenting on the answer’s relationship to the AOs/grid/key words/focus

• indicate extended irrelevance with a vertical line • identify errors of factual accuracy, or where clarity is in doubt, with a question mark • identify errors of spelling or punctuation by underlining, eg sentance • write a summative comment at the end for each Assessment Objective • indicate the marks for each Assessment Objective being tested at the end of the answer in

the margin in sequence. Please do not write negative comments about students’ work or their alleged aptitudes; this is unprofessional and it impedes a positive marking approach.


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Distribution of Assessment Objectives and Weightings The table below is a reminder of which Assessment Objectives will be tested by the questions and tasks completed by students and the marks available for them.

Assessment Objective AO1 AO2 AO5 Total

Questions 1/2 10 20 30 Question 3 20 20 40 70

Section A: Language Diversity Questions 1 and 2 • Award a mark out of 10 for AO1, place in the right-hand margin and ring.

• Award a mark out of 20 for AO2, place in the right-hand margin and ring.


Section B: Language Discourses Question 3 • Award a mark out of 20 for AO2, place in the right-hand margin and ring.

• Award a mark out of 20 for AO5, place in the right-hand margin and ring.


Transfer each ringed mark to the box on the front of the answer booklet. Add together and put the total mark in the box in the top right-hand corner. Initial your mark.


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01 Discuss the idea that a person’s language might be affected by

their occupation. In your answer you should discuss concepts and issues from language study. You should use your own supporting examples and the data in Text A, below. Text A is part of a conversation among staff in a restaurant kitchen. [30 marks]

AO1: Apply appropriate methods of language analysis, using associated terminology and coherent written expression


Level 5

9‒10

Students will: • apply linguistic methods and terminology, identifying patterns and complexities

• guide the reader

Level 4

7‒8

Students will: • apply linguistic methods and terminology with precision and detail

• develop a line of argument

Level 3

5‒6

Students will: • apply linguistic methods and terminology consistently and appropriately

• communicate with clear topics and paragraphs

Level 2

3‒4

Students will: • use linguistic methods and terminology inappropriately and/or inconsistently

• express ideas with organisation emerging

Level 1

1‒2

Students will: • quote or identify features of language without linguistic description

• present material with limited organisation

0 Nothing written


8 of 14

01 Discuss the idea that a person’s language might be affected by their occupation. In your answer you should discuss concepts and issues from language study. You should use your own supporting examples and the data in Text A, below. Text A is part of a conversation among staff in a restaurant kitchen. [30 marks]

AO2: Demonstrate critical understanding of concepts and issues relevant to language use



Level 5

17‒20

Students will: • demonstrate an individual

overview of issues • assess views, approaches,

interpretations of linguistic issues

Students are likely to: • weigh up the interplay of contextual factors on

occupational language • explore issues of power in occupational language • explore playfulness and rule-breaking • explore occupational language other than spoken

interaction

Level 4

13‒16

Students will: • identify different views,

approaches and interpretations of linguistic issues

Students are likely to: • explore the varied functions of occupational

language • explain the effects of participants/roles in

occupational interactions • comment on interactional routines in other

occupations • comment on structure of interaction in Text A

Level 3

9‒12

Students will: • show detailed knowledge of

linguistic ideas, concepts and research

Students are likely to: • explain grammatical features of Text A • explain grammatical features of language in other

occupations • illustrate grammatical features of language in other

occupations • illustrate grammatical features in Text A

Level 2

5‒8

Students will: • show familiarity with linguistic

ideas, concepts and research

Students are likely to: • show awareness of research by name-dropping or

undeveloped/confused references • outline the idea of occupational register • identify vocabulary linked to other occupations (6) • describe semantic fields in Text A (5)

Level 1

1‒4

Students will: • discuss issues anecdotally

without specialist linguistic knowledge

Students are likely to: • discuss examples of language used in occupations

without linguistic comment (4) • give examples of language used in occupations (3) • discuss language in occupations without examples

(2) • discuss occupational behaviour without focus on

language (1) 0 Nothing written about language

concepts or issues Nothing written about language concepts or issues


9 of 14

02

Discuss the idea that women and men use language differently. In your answer you should discuss concepts and issues from language study. You should use your own supporting examples and the data in Table 1, below. Table 1 gives details of the turns, speaking time and interruptions at a staff meeting. [30 marks]

AO1: Apply appropriate methods of language analysis, using associated terminology and coherent written expression


Level 5

9‒10

Students will: • apply linguistic methods and terminology, identifying patterns and complexities

• guide the reader

Level 4

7‒8

Students will: • apply linguistic methods and terminology with precision and detail

• develop a line of argument

Level 3

5‒6

Students will: • apply linguistic methods and terminology consistently and appropriately

• communicate with clear topics and paragraphs

Level 2

3‒4

Students will: • use linguistic methods and terminology inappropriately and/or inconsistently

• express ideas with organisation emerging

Level 1

1‒2

Students will: • quote or identify features of language without linguistic description

• present material with limited organisation

0 Nothing written


10 of 14

02

Discuss the idea that women and men use language differently. In your answer you should discuss concepts and issues from language study. You should use your own supporting examples and the data in Table 1, below. Table 1 gives details of the turns, speaking time and interruptions at a staff meeting. [30 marks]




Level 5

17‒20




Students are likely to: • explore heterogeneity of female/male speakers • explain gender similarities hypothesis • explore other kinds of language use than spoken

interaction • assess dominance and difference approaches explicitly

Level 4

13‒16



Students are likely to: • illustrate effect of situation and use • illustrate effect of other characteristics of speakers: age,

class, ethnicity • explore different interpretations of female/male

conversational behaviours eg tags as showing uncertainty or wielding power

• illustrate research on gender and other variables, eg effect of status by Woods

Level 3

9‒12

Students will: • show detailed knowledge

of linguistic ideas, concepts and research

Students are likely to: • characterise female speech as rapport-based,

collaborative • characterise male speech as report-based, competitive

etc • label and illustrate use of particular features: eg turns,

tags, vocabulary • illustrate research on gender and interaction eg Goodwin

on commands Level 2

5‒8

Students will: • show familiarity with


Students are likely to: • identify researchers by name, eg Coates, and general

reference to research • give confused references, eg Cameron for Tannen • describe specific features of female and male

communication, eg “don’t you”, “absolutely divine” (7) • outline a view of female/male language as simply

different (6) • interpret findings from the data table (5)


11 of 14

Level 1

1‒4



Students are likely to: • discuss examples of women’s and men’s communication

without linguistic comment (4) • give examples of women’s and men’s communication (3) • discuss women’s and men’s communication without

examples (2) • discuss female/male behaviour with no language focus

(1) 0 Nothing written about language

concepts or issues Nothing written about language concepts or issues


12 of 14

03 Text B is the start of an article in which a newspaper columnist discusses a celebrity who changed her local accent. Write an opinion article in which you discuss the issues surrounding people changing their accents. Before writing your article you should state your intended audience. [40 marks]




Level 5

17‒20




Students are likely to: • weigh up use of repertoires, code-switching • assess ideas about identity and solidarity • discuss linguistic arbitrariness of attitudes to

accents • explore changing attitudes to RP and regional

accents Level 4

13‒16



Students are likely to: • explain the social origins of attitudes to accents:

associations with class and location • show knowledge of specific research findings, eg

Giles’ matched guise work, any quantitative findings

• examine convergence and divergence • identify different options for speakers: eg take

elocution lessons, use a repertoire Level 3

9‒12

Students will: • show detailed knowledge of


Students are likely to: • discuss practical advantages of speaking

RP/benefits of regional accents in the world of work

• outline negative connotations of RP: haughty, unfriendly, cold

• outline positive connotations of non-standard accents: warm, trustworthy, friendly

• make reference to linguistic terms and ideas: eg overt and covert prestige

Level 2

5‒8

Students will: • show familiarity with linguistic

ideas, concepts and research

Students are likely to: • outline positive connotations of RP: authority,

competence, intelligence etc • outline negative connotations of non-standard

accents: lower class, less intelligent • identify RP as a standard or regionally neutral

accent • identify attitudes to accents as positive or negative

(5)


13 of 14

Level 1

1‒4



Students are likely to: • identify some accents • rely on and repeat ideas of Text B • make a generalised discussion of accents without

linguistic comment • give a general discussion of celebrities with little

reference to language (1)

0 Nothing written about language concepts or issues

Nothing written about language concepts or issues


14 of 14

03 Text B is the start of an article in which a newspaper columnist discusses a celebrity who changed her local accent. Write an opinion article in which you discuss the issues surrounding people changing their accents. Before writing your article you should state your intended audience. [40 marks]

AO5: Demonstrate expertise and creativity in the use of English to communicate in different ways


INDICATIVE CONTENT These are examples of ways students’ work might exemplify the performance characteristics in the question above. They indicate how form and register can be treated at different levels.

Level 5

17–20

Students will: • use form creatively • show close attention to

register, effective for context • write accurately

Students are likely to: • guide the reader • argue well-documented viewpoints • use engaging and entertaining style

Level 4

13–16

Students will: • use form convincingly • use and sustain register,

effective for context • show strong control of

accuracy

Students are likely to: • produce an effective opening and conclusion • write accessibly and transform linguistic ideas for

audience • write for context of a non-specialist audience,

recognising entertainment and informative functions

Level 3

9–12

Students will: • use form competently • use register, sometimes

effective for context • show firm control of accuracy

Students are likely to: • produce an effective opening and lively sub-editorial

material • use a linguistic register but with overly academic

elements • write for stated audience/context

Level 2

5–8

Students will: • use form appropriately • use appropriate address for

context • make occasional errors

Students are likely to: • use article format eg a functional headline,

sub-editorial material • address the reader but use overly informal style

Level 1

1–4

Students will: • use form limited to simple

elements • shape language broadly for

context • make intrusive errors

Students are likely to: • write in paragraphs • write essay-like response

0 Nothing written Nothing written


AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (registered charity number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee registered in

England and Wales (company number 3644723). Registered address: AQA, Devas Street, Manchester M15 6EX

13 January 2016

2015 Morning Time allowed: 1 hour 30 minutes Materials For this paper you must have: • an AQA 8-page answer booklet. Instructions • Use black ink or black ball-point pen. • Write the information required on the front of your answer book. The Examining Body for this paper is AQA. The Paper Reference is 7701/2. • There are two sections: - Section A: Language Diversity - Section B: Language Discourses • Answer either Question 1 or Question 2 from Section A and Question 3 from Section B. • Do all rough work in your answer book. Cross through any work that you do not want to be marked. Information • The maximum mark for this paper is 70. • The marks for questions are shown in brackets. • There are 30 marks for either Question 1 or Question 2 and 40 marks for Question 3. • You will be marked on your ability to:

– use good English – organise information clearly – use specialist vocabulary where appropriate.

Advice • It is recommended that you spend about 40 minutes writing your Section A answer and 50 minutes writing your Section B answer.

AS ENGLISH LANGUAGE (7701/2) Paper 2: Language Varieties

SPECIMEN MATERIAL

2

Section A

Language Diversity

Answer one question in this section. Either

Discuss the idea that a person’s language might be affected by their occupation. In your answer you should discuss concepts and issues from language study. You should use your own supporting examples and the data in Text A, below. Text A is part of a conversation among staff in a restaurant kitchen.

[30 marks] Text A

Jack: check on one no starters Al (.) one risotto (.) one chicken [background noise] Ed: yeah Al: yeah Jack: Al get us a bottle of Chablis (.) table two Al: I'm not (.) [laughter] don't you chuffin' start mate Ed: are you gonna wash any dishes tonight Jack: right ready for starters on two Al: yeah yeah yeah yeah Transcription Key: (.) indicates a normal pause [italics] contextual indicator Words between vertical lines are spoken simultaneously

Source: Private Data

Turn over for the next question

0 1

5

3

Turn over �

or Discuss the idea that women and men use language differently. In your answer you should discuss concepts and issues from language study. You should use your own supporting examples and the data in Table 1, below. Table 1 gives details of the turns, speaking time and interruptions at a staff meeting.

[30 marks] Table 1

Speaker Average turns

per meeting Average no. of

seconds per turn Average ‘did interrupt’ per

meeting

Average ‘was interrupted’ per

meeting Woman A 5.5 7.8 0.5 3.0 Woman B 5.8 10.0 0.0 3.0 Woman C 8.0 3.0 1.0 3.2 Woman D 20.5 8.5 2.0 7.5 Man E 11.3 16.5 2.0 2.6 Man F 32.3 17.1 8.0 6.7 Man G 32.6 13.2 6.6 6.3 Man H 30.2 10.7 4.3 5.0 Man I 17.0 15.8 4.5 2.5

Source: B Dubois and I Crouch, ‘The question of tag questions in women’s speech: they don’t really

use more of them, do they?’ Language in Society, 4, 03, pp289-294. Reproduced with permission.

Turn over for Section B

0 2

4

Section B

Language Discourses

Answer the question in this section Text B is the start of an article in which a newspaper columnist discusses a celebrity who changed her local accent.

Text B

Alreet pet, there's nowt wrong with trying to sound posh... JAN MOIR defends James Middleton's new girlfriend for dropping her Geordie accent Excuse me, pet. What in the name of stottie cake has happened to Donna Air’s accent? Interviewed on Daybreak television this week, the Geordie actress and personality appears to have mislaid the jaunty cadences of her native Newcastle somewhere on the road from La-Di-Dah to Snootsville. ‘I’m just heah to talk about Cowes Week today,’ she rather grandly told presenter Kate Garraway, who had been impertinent enough to ask Lady Donna d’Airs et Graces about her romance with James Middleton.

Source: Daily Mail

Write an opinion article in which you discuss the issues surrounding people changing their accents. Before writing your article you should state your intended audience.

[40 marks]

END OF QUESTIONS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT-HOLDERS AND PUBLISHERS Permission to reproduce all copyright material has been applied for. In some cases, efforts to contact copyright-holders have been unsuccessful and AQA will be happy to rectify any omissions of acknowledgements in future papers if notified. Text A: Private Data Table 1: Betty Lou Dubois and Isabel Crouch, ‘The question of tag questions in women’s speech: they don’t really use more of them, do

they?’ Language in Society, 4, 03, pp 289-294. Reproduced with permission. Text B: Text © Daily Mail. Image © Getty Copyright © 2014 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved.

0 3

Airs and graces: Donna with James Middleton

AustralianScalingTestWdevelopedby

AustralianCouncilforEducationalResearch

THEACERCRITERIAFORASSESSMENTOFWRITTENEXPRESSIONInassessingwrittenexpressionmarkersatACERwillconsiderthefollowingissues:THOUGHTANDCONTENT(thequalityofwhatissaidinthepieceofwriting)* whatismadeofanddevelopedfromthetask* thekindsofthoughtsandfeelingsofferedinresponsetothetaskSTRUCTUREANDORGANISATION(thequalityofthestructureandorganisationdevelopedtopresentwhatissaidinthewriting)* theshapeandformofthepiece* thesequenceandcohesionofthepieceEXPRESSION,STYLEANDMECHANICS(thequalityofthelanguageusedtoorganiseandpresentwhatissaid)* theeffectivenessandappropriatenessofthelanguage* theexpressivenessandfluencyofthelanguage* thecontrolofthemechanicsofEnglish

NationalAssessmentProgram-LiteracyandNumeracy(NAPLAN)

WritingTest2016

AustralianCurriculum,AssessmentandReportingAuthority(ACARA)

It is cruel to keep animals in cages.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree? Perhaps you can think of ideas for both sides of this topic.

Write to convince a reader of your opinions.

Start with an introduction. An introduction lets a reader know what you are going to write about. Write your opinions on this topic. Give reasons for your opinions. Explain your reasons for your opinions. Finish with a conclusion. A conclusion is a way to sum up your writing so that a reader is convinced of your opinions.

Remember to:

opinions

All images except chicken used under licence from Shutterstock.com: kangaroo © Ruth Black, 2011; tiger © Stephen Coburn, 2011; canary © Judy Drietz, 2011; dolphins © Kimberly Hall, 2011; lion © Keith Levit, 2011; eagle © teekaygee, 2011; panda © Mike Flippo, 2011.

6

The Marking CriteriaStudents’ writing is assessed using an analytic criterion-referenced marking guide, consisting of a rubric containing ten marking criteria and annotated sample scripts. The ten criteria are:

1 Audience The writer’s capacity to orient, engage and persuade the reader

2 Text structureThe organisation of the structural components of a persuasive text (introduction, body and conclusion) into an appropriate and effective text structure

3 Ideas The selection, relevance and elaboration of ideas for a persuasive argument

4 Persuasive devices The use of a range of persuasive devices to enhance the writer’s position and persuade the reader

5 Vocabulary The range and precision of contextually appropriate language choices

6 CohesionThe control of multiple threads and relationships across the text, achieved through the use of referring words, ellipsis, text connectives, substitutions and word associations

7 Paragraphing The segmenting of text into paragraphs that assists the reader to follow the line of argument

8 Sentence structure The production of grammatically correct, structurally sound and meaningful sentences

9 Punctuation The use of correct and appropriate punctuation to aid the reading of the text10 Spelling The accuracy of spelling and the difficulty of the words used

The following table shows the range of score points for each criterion:

Audience Text structure

Ideas Persuasive devices

Vocabulary Cohesion Paragraphing Sentence structure

Punctuation Spelling

0-6 0-4 0-5 0-4 0-5 0-4 0-3 0-6 0-5 0-6

2013

Persuasive Writing Marking Guide

5

Assessing Writing in the National Assessment Program

The NAPLAN writing taskThe writing task for the 201 writing assessment is a persuasive writing task. It is the same task for all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9.

The writing task is provided to the students on a full-colour stimulus sheet. It contains the topic, task instructions and colour images to support the students. The topic and task instructions are read aloud to the students by the teacher. Students have 5 minutes to plan, 30 minutes to write and 5 minutes to edit.

The task instructions

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree? Perhaps you can think of ideas for both sides of this topic. Write to convince a reader of your opinion.

Start with an introduction. An introduction lets a reader know what you are going to write about.Write your opinion on this topic. Give reasons for your opinion. Explain your reasons for your opinion.Finish with a conclusion. A conclusion sums up your reasons so that a reader is convinced of your opinion.

Remember to: plan your writing

choose your words carefully to convince a reader of your opinionpay attention to your spelling and punctuation check and edit your writing so it is clear for a reader

DefinitionThe following definition has shaped the development of the task and the persuasive writing marking criteria.

The purpose of persuasive writing is to persuade a reader to a point of view on an issue. Persuasive writing may express an opinion, discuss, analyse and evaluate an issue. It may also entertain and inform.

The style of persuasive writing may be formal or informal but it requires the writer to adopt a sense of authority on the subject matter and to develop the subject in an ordered, rational way. A writer of a persuasive text may draw on their own personal knowledge and experience or may draw on detailed knowledge of a particular subject or issue.

The main structural components of the persuasive text are the introduction, development of argument (body) and conclusion.

Within the broad persuasive genre and within the context of the given topic, writers may make decisions about themes and subjects they choose to write about and the details they use to develop their ideas. The task does not specify a preference for particular content on the given topic.

6

The Marking CriteriaStudents’ writing is assessed using an analytic criterion-referenced marking guide, consisting of a rubric containing ten marking criteria and annotated sample scripts. The ten criteria are:

1 Audience The writer’s capacity to orient, engage and persuade the reader

2 Text structureThe organisation of the structural components of a persuasive text (introduction, body and conclusion) into an appropriate and effective text structure

3 Ideas The selection, relevance and elaboration of ideas for a persuasive argument

4 Persuasive devices The use of a range of persuasive devices to enhance the writer’s position and persuade the reader

5 Vocabulary The range and precision of contextually appropriate language choices

6 CohesionThe control of multiple threads and relationships across the text, achieved through the use of referring words, ellipsis, text connectives, substitutions and word associations

7 Paragraphing The segmenting of text into paragraphs that assists the reader to follow the line of argument

8 Sentence structure The production of grammatically correct, structurally sound and meaningful sentences

9 Punctuation The use of correct and appropriate punctuation to aid the reading of the text10 Spelling The accuracy of spelling and the difficulty of the words used

The following table shows the range of score points for each criterion:

Audience Text structure

Ideas Persuasive devices

Vocabulary Cohesion Paragraphing Sentence structure

Punctuation Spelling

0-6 0-4 0-5 0-4 0-5 0-4 0-3 0-6 0-5 0-6

7

Using the marking rubricEach assessment criterion is displayed on a separate page. The top of each page shows the criterion number and name. The skill focus defines the underlying skill being assessed.

Each score category has a category descriptor. A category descriptor is a broad statement describing the particular skill level. This is the overall statement that should be used to make the judgement.

Additional information is included to help shape the judgement. However, this information is not an exhaustive list. Rather, it is indicative of features that may be present in students’ writing.

Notes on the bottom of the page provide clarifying detail where necessary.

Sample scripts which exemplify the standard for the category scores are listed. The number in brackets is the page reference of the script.

Sample scripts and their annotations exemplifying the category scores follow the marking rubric. The annotations of the sample scripts describe how the marking criteria have been applied. Together, the criteria and the sample scripts and their annotations are the means by which consistent marker judgements are made. Both are equally important to the marking process.

Discussion scripts with annotations have been included to guide the marking of types of writing that may be encountered.

The Note on Text Structure section gives information about the structural components of the persuasive text type.

Finally, a glossary of terms associated with the marking guide and a spelling reference list are provided.

8

Skill focus: The writer’s capacity to orient, engage and persuade the reader.

Category descriptor Additional information Sample scripts

0symbols or drawings which have the intention of conveying meaning

PletRi DoLiSal (18)

1

response to audience needs is limited

text contains simple written content

text is very short

OR

a longer text (more than one sentence) where meaning is difficult to access

OR

copied stimulus material, including prompt topic

Some anmals cou’d die (20)

animals getting cewd (22)

2

shows basic awareness of audience expectations through attempting to orient the reader

provides some information to support reader understanding

text may be short but is easily read

reader may need to fill gaps in information

it cruel to keep animals (24)

animals will feel sad (28)

any other animal (30)

3

orients the reader

- an internally consistent persuasive text that attempts to support the reader by developing a shared understanding of context

contains sufficient information for the reader to follow the text fairly easily

They won’t face danger (32)

they try to break out (36)

I agree and don’t agree (38)

Some toys and games are educational (40)

4

supports reader understanding

AND

begins to engage and persuade reader through language choices

writer’s choices may

- create an appropriate relationship with reader (e.g. polite, formal, social distance, personal connection)

- reveal values and attitudes

- persuade through control of tenor

- appeal to reason, emotions and/or cultural values

- subvert expectations (challenge readers’ values)

- acknowledge wider audience

My idea of a perfect zoo (42)

All animals started off (46)

Cages and Zoos (50)

5

supports, engages and persuades the reader through deliberate language choices and persuasive techniques

Under Certain Circumstances (54)

Food, water and other nessasary supplies (58)

The lion’s glorious hair (62)

6

controls writer/reader relationship

- establishes strong, credible voice

- crafts writing to influence reader by precise and sustained language choices and persuasive techniques

- takes readers’ values and expectations into account

If humans can have a voice why can’t animals. (66)

zoos can have useful purposes (70)

things should be regulated (74)

1. Audience

Criteria

9

Skill focus: The organisation of the structural components of a persuasive text (introduction, body and conclusion) into an appropriate and effective text structure.


0no evidence of any structural components of a persuasive text

symbols or drawings

inappropriate genre, e.g. narrative, description, recount, procedure

PletRi DoLiSal (18)

1

minimal evidence of persuasive structure

- structural components not clearly identifiable

OR

- one component only, e.g. an introduction or body

text may be

- a statement such as an opinion and/or reason (may be followed by recount or description)

- a list of statements or beliefs








2

text contains two clearly identifiable structural components

OR

all components are present but weak

introduction or conclusion are clearly differentiated from the body

often presents as a more developed body with underdeveloped introduction and conclusion




3

text contains an introduction, a body and conclusion

OR

detailed longer text with two developed components and one weaker component

structural components are developed

body is developed with reasons and supporting evidence




4

coherent, controlled and complete argument

all components are well developed

- introduction with clear position statement

AND

- body with reasons and detailed supporting evidence

AND

- conclusion that reinforces the writer’s position

conclusion may reflect on issues raised and/or recommend action


Cages and Zoos (50)




2. Text structure

10

Skill focus: The selection, relevance and elaboration of ideas for a persuasive argument.


0 no evidence or insufficient evidence

symbols or drawings PletRi DoLiSal (18)

1

Text contains one idea

OR

ideas appear unrelated to each other

OR

ideas are unrelated to topic on prompt


2

one idea with simple elaboration

OR

ideas are few and related but not elaborated

OR

many simple ideas that are related but not elaborated





3

ideas are supported with some elaboration

OR

many unelaborated ideas that relate plausibly to argument (four or more)

OR

one idea with more developed elaboration

may also contain ineffective or unrelated ideas

may be assertions/opinions







4

ideas are elaborated and contribute effectively to the writer’s position

ideas may include

- benefits to the whole group (more than just personal)

- reflection on the wider world/universal issues

ideas may be elaborated by, e.g.

- a range of issues both for and against the stated position

- a refutation of other positions or opinions

- explaining cause and effect

Cages and Zoos (50)




5

ideas are generated, selected and crafted to be highly persuasive

If humans can have a voice why can’t animals (66)



3. Ideas

11

Skill focus: The use of a range of persuasive devices to enhance the writer’s position and persuade the reader.


0

no evidence or insufficient evidence symbols or drawings

writes in wrong genre

copies topic only

PletRi DoLiSal (18)


1

uses a statement or statements of personal opinion

OR

uses one or two instances of persuasive devices (may be same type)

opinion may appear confused or contradictory

uses only simple devices (I think … very, very)

I reckon ... should ... because forms one instance of a persuasive device





2

uses three or more instances of persuasive devices that support the writer’s position (at least two types)

may have more devices than required but these are ineffective






3

uses some devices that persuade

use is effective but not sustained (may also include some ineffective use)

there are many devices that can be used to persuade a reader

- effective devices are appropriate to the style of argument and may appeal to one or more of the reader’s reason, values or emotions


Cages and Zoos (50)


4

sustained and effective use of persuasive devices






NOTESAbout a page of writing is needed to consider sustained use.

4. Persuasive devices

12

Skill focus: The range and precision of contextually appropriate language choices.

Category descriptor Additional information Sample scripts0 symbols or drawings PletRi DoLiSal (18)1 very short script few content words Some anmals cou’d die (20)

2

mostly simple words

may include two or three precise words or word groups

single nouns

- water, award, house, reason, news, people, world

simple noun groups

- a very helpful man, a tin cage, television programs

single verbs

- like, run, look, need, think, played

simple verb groups

- did it the proper way, looked around the room

adjectives and adverbs

- cold, always, really, very, friendly, rich

simple comparisons

- as much as she can, the best teacher I ever had, one of the fastest









3

four or more precise words or word groups

single precise words

- citizen, urge, budget, consider, solution, protect, supportive, research

modal adjectives and adverbs

- ultimate, certain, extreme, possibly, definitely, rarely

precise word groups

- duty of care, quick-minded person, a positive impact on society

modal groups

- it would seem that, it is unlikely that

technical

- habitat, life expectancy, politician, global warming, financial crisis

nominalisations

- probability, likelihood, shortsightedness

figurative language, e.g. alliteration, metaphor, simile, personification




4

sustained and consistent use of precise words and word groups that enhance the meaning (may be some inappropriate or inaccurate word choices)

Cages and Zoos (50)




5

a range of precise and effective words and word groups is used in a fluent and articulate manner

language choice is well matched to style of argument



NOTESWords are generally classified into two classes:Content words (or lexical items) describe objects and concepts. This class of words consists of nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, noun groups, phrasal verbs and verb groups.Grammatical word classes (or structural words) consist of prepositions, articles, conjunctions, pronouns and interjections.About a page of writing is needed to consider sustained use.

5. Vocabulary

13

Skill focus: The control of multiple threads and relationships across the text, achieved through the use of referring words, ellipsis, text connectives, substitutions and word associations.

Category descriptor Additional information Sample scripts0 symbols or drawings PletRi DoLiSal (18)

1

links are missing or incorrect

short script

often confusing for the reader




2

some correct links between sentences (do not penalise for poor punctuation)

most referring words are accurate

OR

longer text with cohesion controlled only in parts

reader may occasionally need to re-read and provide their own links to clarify meaning

May use

- simple word associations motorbike rider/stunts, bandaid/ stick

- small selection of simple connectives and conjunctions and, if, so, when, because, not only ... but also, then, but, or







3

controlled use of cohesive devices supports reader understanding

meaning is clear on first reading and text flows well in a sustained piece of writing

May use

- word associations, e.g. synonyms safe haven/habitat/sanctuary/ enclosure collocation black market/mistreatment/unethical

- other connectives however, although, therefore, additionally, instead, even though, finally, in saying this

there may be occasional lapses in referring words that track plural nouns, e.g. animals … it



Cages and Zoos (50)




4

a range of cohesive devices is used correctly and deliberately to enhance reading and support underlying relationships

an extended, highly cohesive piece of writing showing continuity of ideas and tightly linked sections of text

consistent use of cohesive devices, e.g. referring words, ellipsis, text connectives, substitutions and word associations that enhance meaning




NOTESAbout a page of writing is needed to consider sustained use.

6. Cohesion

14

Skill focus: The segmenting of text into paragraphs that assists the reader to follow the line of argument.


0

no correct use of paragraphing

script may be a block of text

may be random breaks

may be a new line for every sentence (where break is not used to separate ideas)

PletRi DoLiSal (18)








1

writing is organised into paragraphs that are mainly focused on one idea or set of like ideas to assist the reader to digest chunks of text

contains at least one correct paragraph break

ideas are separated (paragraphs may contain some unrelated ideas)

paragraphs may be used to separate the body from the introduction and/or conclusion (two or three paragraphs)




2

all paragraphs are focused on one idea or set of like ideas

- at least one paragraph is logically constructed and contains a topic sentence and supporting detail

paragraphs are mostly correct

not all topic sentences are successful

body needs at least two paragraphs

may use an extended one-sentence paragraph that contains an elaborated idea




3

paragraphing supports argument

paragraphs are ordered and cumulatively build argument across text

paragraphs are deliberately structured to pace and direct the reader’s attention

single sentence may be used as a final comment for emphasis

Cages and Zoos (50)





NOTESFor the purposes of the task, intended paragraphs can be indicated by any of the following conventions:

indentation of a new linespace between blocks of textstudent annotations, e.g. P for paragraph or NP for new paragraph, tram lines, square brackets, asteriskavailable space on previous line left unused, followed by new line for paragraph beginning.

7. Paragraphing

15

Skill focus: The production of grammatically correct, structurally sound and meaningful sentences.


0 no evidence of sentences drawings, symbols, a list of words, text fragments

PletRi DoLiSal (18)

1

some correct formation of sentences

some meaning can be construed

in general control is very limited

very short script (one sentence)

most sentences contain the same basic structures

may be overuse of the conversational ‘and’ or ‘then’



2

correct sentences are mostly simple and/or compound sentences

meaning is predominantly clear

a short script that consists only of correct complex sentences (where there are no simple sentences)

text may include complex sentences that use one basic structure (two, if one is a projected clause)

two or more correct sentences required




They wont face danger (32)

3

most simple and compound sentences are correct

AND

some complex sentences are correct

meaning is predominantly clear

simple sentences may show some extension

experiments with basic structures in complex sentences

- requires two or more types (three or more, if one is a projected clause)

four or more correct sentences required





Cages and Zoos (50)

4

most simple, compound and complex sentences are correct

OR

all simple, compound and complex sentences are correct but do not demonstrate variety

meaning is clear

more routine use and greater control of elaborating clauses and phrases in simple, compound and complex sentences

allow for an occasional minor error

usually requires a sustained piece of writing





5

sentences are correct (allow for occasional error in more sophisticated structures)

demonstrates variety

meaning is clear and sentences enhance meaning

shows control over a range of different structures (quantity, quality and variety)

VARIETY

clause types and patterns

- verbless, adjectival, adverbial, multiple, non-finite

dependent clause position

length and rhythm

increased elaboration and extension

stylistically appropriate choices



6

all sentences are correct (allow for occasional slip, e.g. a missing word)

writing contains controlled and well-developed sentences that express precise meaning and are consistently effective


NOTESSome students do not accurately identify their sentence boundaries with punctuation. In these cases it will be necessary to read the intended sentence. Run-on sentences should not be regarded as successful (overly repeated ‘and’, ‘so’ etc).Verb control and preposition errors should be considered as sentence errors.‘Most’ is approximately 80%.

8. Sentence structure

16

Skill focus: The use of correct and appropriate punctuation to aid reading of the text.


0no evidence of correct sentence punctuation

SENTENCE PUNCTUATION INCLUDES

capital letters to begin sentences

full stops, question marks and exclamation marks to end sentences

OTHER PUNCTUATION INCLUDES

commas in lists

commas to mark clauses and phrases

apostrophes for contractions

apostrophes for possession

capital letters and commas used within quotation marks

quotation marks for text extracts, highlighted words and words used with ironic emphasis (‘sneer’ quotes)

brackets and dashes

colons and semicolons

points of ellipsis

NOUN CAPITALISATION INCLUDES

first names and surnames

titles: Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms

place names: Paris, Italy

institution names: Valley High

days of week, months of year

street names: Ord St

book and film titles

holidays: Easter, Ramadan

historic events: World War II

PletRi DoLiSal (18)


1

correct use of capital letters to start sentences OR full stops to end sentences (at least one correct sentence marker)

punctuation is minimal and of little assistance to the reader

Some animals cou’d die (20)



2

some correct use of sentence level punctuation (at least two accurately punctuated sentences - beginning and end)

OR

one correctly punctuated sentence AND some other punctuation correct where it is required (refer to list in additional information)

provides some markers to assist reading



3

sentence level punctuation mostly correct (minimum of 80% of five sentences punctuated correctly) AND some other correct punctuation (two or more different examples of other punctuation)

OR

accurate sentence punctuation with correct noun capitalisation and no stray capitals, nothing else used (four or more sentences)

provides adequate markers to assist reading





Cages and Zoos (50)


4

all sentence punctuation correct (no stray capitals)

AND

mostly correct use of other punctuation, including noun capitalisation

provides accurate markers to enable smooth and efficient reading





5

writing contains accurate use of all applicable punctuation

provides precise markers to pace and control reading of the text



NOTESIn first draft writing, allowances can be made for the very occasional omission of sentence punctuation at Categories 4 and 5.‘Mostly’ is approximately 80% but it is not intended that every use of punctuation is calculated rigorously.Do not penalise for different heading styles. The following styles are all considered acceptable:

- only the first letter capitalised (It is cruel to keep animals in cages or zoos) - the first letter of all major words capitalised (It Is Cruel to Keep Animals in Cages or Zoos)- all words capitalised (It Is Cruel To Keep Animals In Cages Or Zoos)- all letters capitalised (IT IS CRUEL TO KEEP ANIMALS IN CAGES OR ZOOS)

‘Splice’ commas used to join two sentences are INCORRECT, e.g. The dog ate my home work, it was hungry. Do not score this as correct sentence punctuation or comma use.

9. Punctuation

17

Skill focus: The accuracy of spelling and the difficulty of the words used.


0 no conventional spelling

SIMPLE WORDSwords with two letters (an, be, it, on, up, my)single-syllable words with

- short vowel sounds (cat, men, fit, not, fun) - consonant digraphs (shop, thin, much, chips) - consonant blends (clap, drop, grab, bring, must, help, left) - double final consonants (egg, will, less) - high frequency (all, day, feet, food, you, park, bird, her, good, for, how, our)

high frequency short two-syllable words - into, undo, goingCOMMON WORDS

single-syllable words with - two two-consonant blends and/or digraphs (crack, speech, broom, drift) - three-consonant blends (stretch, catch)

common long vowels (sail, again, away, mean, light, fly, shiny, broke, only, close, hurt, use, chair)multi-syllabic words with even stress patterns (litter, plastic, between)common homophones (too/two, there/their, write/right, hear/here, brake/break)common words with silent letters (know, wrong, comb) single-syllable words ending in ould, ey, oughsuffixes that don’t change the base word (jumped, sadly, adults, happening)most rule-driven words: drop e, double letter, change y to i (having, spitting, heavier, easily)

DIFFICULT WORDS uneven stress patterns in multi-syllabic words (chocolate, mineral)uncommon vowel patterns (drought, hygiene)difficult subject-specific content words (disease, habitat, predator)difficult homophones (practice/practise, board/bored) suffixes where base word changes (prefer/preferred, relate/relation)consonant alternation patterns (confident/confidence)many three- and four-syllable words (invisible, organise, community)multi-syllabic words ending in tion, sion, ture, ible/able, ent/ant, ful, el/al, elly/ally, gle (supervision, furniture, powerful, sentinel, brutally, rectangle)

CHALLENGING WORDS unusual consonant patterns (guarantee)longer words with unstressed syllables (responsibility) suffixes to words ending in e, c or l (physically, changeable, plasticity)foreign words (lieutenant, nonchalant)

PletRi DoLiSal (18)

1

few examples of conventional spelling

Limited evidence (less than 20 words written)

Some anmals cou’d die (20) animals getting cewd (22)

2

correct spelling of

- most simple words

- some common words (at least two)

errors evident in common words

it cruel to keep animals (24)animals will feel sad (28)

3

correct spelling of

- most simple words

- most common words (at least 20)

any other animal (30)They won’t face danger (32)I agree and don’t agree (38)

4

correct spelling of

- simple words

- most common words

- some difficult words (at least two)

incorrect difficult words do not outnumber correct difficult words



5

correct spelling of

- simple words

- most common words

- at least 10 difficult words

incorrect difficult words do not outnumber correct difficult words

My idea of a perfect zoo (42)All animals started off (46)Cages and Zoos (50)Under Certain Circumstances (54)

Food, water and other nessasary supplies (58)The lion’s glorious hair (62) If humans can have a voice why can’t animals. (66)zoos can have useful purposes (70)

6

correct spelling of all words

AND

at least 10 difficult words and some challenging words OR at least 15 difficult words if no challenging words

allow for a very occasional minor slip (one or two)


10. Spelling

NAPLAN marking criteria VELS level

Audience

Supports and engages the reader through deliberate language choices and persuasive techniques. Some lapses in precision of language.

Develops a critical understanding of the ways writers and producers of texts try to position readers to accept particular views … ideas and information. (5) Adjusts writing in response to purpose, content and audience needs. (5) Practises writing expressively about … opinions and ideas, and constructing considered arguments to persuade others to share a point of view. (6)

Text structure All components of the text are well developed, although the introduction is too long and begins to develop the argument, rather than introduce it. Topic sentences introduce each paragraph.

Extends knowledge of the structure of a variety of text forms (such as persuasive texts). (5)

Ideas Ideas are generated, selected and crafted to contribute effectively to the writer’s position.

Writes arguments that state and justify a personal viewpoint. (5) Identifies the main issues in a topic and provides supporting detail and evidence for opinions. (5) Practises writing expressively and in detail about challenging ideas. (5) Writes persuasive texts dealing with complex ideas and issues and controls the linguistic structures and features that support the presentation of different perspectives on complex themes and issues. (6) Uses writing to explore different perspectives on complex and challenging issues. (6)

Persuasive devices Sustained and effective use of persuasive devices. Effective rebuttal and use of qualification (Whilst such cages are often seen as cruel there are advantages…) and cause effect reasoning (If society were to commit …). Effective use of rhetorical question (So where do you draw the line…?) and the use of But and And for at the beginning of sentences for rhetorical purposes. Use of quotations less effective as they are not integrated into writer’s sentences and source of quotations not identified.

Explores the power of language and the ways it can influence roles and relationships and represent ideas, information and concepts. (5) Selects subject matter and begins to use a range of language techniques to try to position readers to accept particular views. (6)

Vocabulary

A range of precise and effective words and word groups used in a fluent and articulate manner.

Uses a range of vocabulary and selects for precise meaning. (4) Experiments with techniques to influence others, including vocabulary. (5)

Cohesion

Although not a highly cohesive piece, there is controlled use of cohesive devices to support reader understanding. Some unreferenced pronouns (eg. paragraph 4: They also study the behaviour ...; and He added …) and lack of integration of quotations detract from

Identifies and uses different parts of speech, including nouns, pronouns, adverbs, comparative adverbs and adjectives, and uses appropriate prepositions and conjunctions. (4) Controls tenses and subject-verb

cohesion. and noun-pronoun agreement. (5)

Paragraphing All paragraphs are focused on one idea or set of like ideas.

Writes texts containing logically ordered paragraphs that express opinions and includes ideas and information about familiar topics. (3)

Sentence structure

Generally controls a range of different structures but there are some long and unwieldy sentences (eg. paragraph one: But the use of cages also has effects…).

Uses a variety of sentence structures. (4)

Punctuation

Sentence punctuation correct, good use of commas to mark clauses and phrases, and correct use of quotation marks. Errors in use of both possessive and contraction apostrophes.

Uses punctuation to support meaning, including exclamation marks and quotation marks, and accurately uses full stops, commas and question marks. (3)

Spelling

Correct spelling of difficult and challenging words, with a very occasional minor slip.

Proofreads and corrects spelling errors. (5)

National Writing Project Offers High-Quality Writing Assessment Services

Despite the central importance of writing in our academic, civic, and professional life outside of school,

writing has long been the neglected “R” inside of school (National Commission on Writing, 2003). Current research shows that teachers have little class time to teach narrative, informative, and argumentative writing (Applebee & Langer, 2011, National Center for Education Statistics, 2008). This reality presents a challenge as states, districts, schools, and teachers implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts as well as college- and career-ready standards, which establish new rigorous expectations for writing.

A recent research synthesis reveals that high-quality formative writing assessments—those that provide useful feedback to students, teach students to assess their own writing, monitor students’ writing progress, and enable teachers to apply best practices for assessing writing—help raise students’ overall writing achievement (Graham, Harris, & Hebert, 2011).

Over the past 8 years, the National Writing Project created and refined the Analytic Writing Continuum (AWC) Assessment System, originally based on the framework of the Six +1 Trait Writing Model (Bellamy, 2005), for research and instructional purposes. Unlike the holistic scores used in most large-scale writing assessments, which offer limited information about how improvements in student writing may be achieved, the AWC provides accurate assessment of both holistic and important performance attributes of writing.

The AWC is a well-tested system, used at 9 national events to score more than 40,000 student writing samples. The AWC system directly measures writing performance in an objective, unbiased manner. It includes extensively tested and highly refined definitions of the constructs measured, as well as anchors, scoring and training commentaries, as well as training and calibration processes. The system applies a 6-point scale for both holistic and analytic scoring of the following attributes of writing: Content, Structure, Stance, Sentence Fluency, Diction, and Conventions (Swain & LeMahieu, 2012).

◊ Focuses on core attributes of student writing

◊ Provides writing assessment to guide instructional decision-making, professional development, research, and program evaluation:

◊ Offers 6 analytic scores and 1 holistic assessment◊ Uses 6-point scale sensitive for detecting changes

in student writing performance◊ Allows for use in Grades 3–12

◊ Connects local scores to a national writing assessment infrastructure

◊ Employs a national network of expert teachers of writing to score student work

◊ Exhibits strong technical qualities:◊ High inter-rater reliability with 90% agreement

across attributes, and test-retest reliability ◊ Evidence of validity identified through

examination of factor structures, relationship to other writing assessments, studies of classroom, and professional development use

THE ANALYTIC WRITING CONTINUUM AT A GLANCE

“In my thirty-year career in writing assessment, the NWP’s Analytic Writing Continuum is the only analytic measure of student writing I have found

both to be highly reliable and to measure the authentic and central constructs of student writing. The AWC combines carefully constructed categories

that provide valid measures with a rigorous and proven training procedure that ensures reliability.” — Les PereLmAN, Director of Writing Across the Curriculum,

massachusetts Institute of Technology and President, The Consortium for research and evaluation of Writing

The National Writing Project is a nationwide network of educators working together to improve the teaching of writing in the nation’s schools and in other settings. NWP provides high-quality professional development programs to teachers in a variety of disciplines and at all levels, from early child-hood through university. Through its network of nearly 200 university-based sites located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, NWP develops the leadership, programs, and research needed for teachers to help students become successful writers and learners. For more information, visit www.nwp.org.

Conclusion Using both holistic and analytic procedures, the AWC Assessment System is a robust instrument that measures important aspects of writing consis-tently across multiple raters and scoring sessions. It serves as a tool to support teachers’ growth as writers and as teachers of writing. More broadly, the AWC provides a common language and metric around which professional development can be structured, encouraging the growth of professional communities, greater teacher knowledge, and improved student learning outcomes.

Evidence of Inter-Rater Reliability At each scoring event, at least 15% of papers are randomly selected to be read by two independent raters. Over the past 8 years, inter-rater reliability rates have ranged from 89 to 93 percent across attributes.

Evidence of Test-Retest Reliability To monitor the consistency with which standards of the AWC are applied across the years, a total of 500 papers (20–25 at each score point from 1 through 6 at each grade level) have been scored by two independent raters each year from 2008 to 2011. For each attribute, the frequency distributions of scores from multiple years of scoring were plotted on a single coordinate plane (i.e., all resemble the holistic graph below). The graphs show little variation in scores, indicating exceptional consistency in the application of standards across time.

“my teachers were passionate to use the AWC on a district-wide basis. They felt that the assessment system was

far superior to any other they had ever worked with; it has dual potential for

summative and formative evaluation.” — KImberLy CuevAs, 7–12 eLA Program

Coordinator, Washoe County school District, Nv, 2011

ReferencesApplebee, A.N., & Langer, J.A. (2011). A snapshot of writing instruc-

tion in middle schools and high schools. English Journal, 100 (6), 14–27.

Bellamy, P.C. (2005). Seeing with New Eyes: Using the 6 +1 Trait Writing Model. Portland, OR: Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.

Graham, S., Harris, K., and Hebert, M. A. (2011). Informing writing: The benefits of formative assessment. A Carnegie Corporation Time to Act report. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.

National Center for Education Statistics (2008, April 3). The nation’s report card: Writing 2007 (NCES 2008468) [National Association of Education Progress report]. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.

National Commission on Writing (2003). The neglected “R”: The need for a writing revolution (report). New York: College Entrance Examination Board.

Swain, S. & LeMahieu, P. (2012). Assessment in a culture of inquiry: The story of National Writing Project’s Analytic Writing Continuum. In N. Elliot and L. Perelman (Eds). Writing assessment in the 21st Cen-tury: Essays in honor of Edward White. New York: Hampton Press.

ServiceS Offered

Use the AWc Assessment System to

◊ Obtain high-quality information about student writing performance, with sensitivity to differences between groups or change over time

◊ enhance grant proposals or add valid, reliable student performance data to research projects

◊ Offer scoring opportunities as professional development for teachers

contract NWP to

◊ ensure technical rigor of scoring involving experienced teachers of writing◊ Host a local scoring event ◊ send papers to be scored at a national event ◊ Create and use local assessment systems and materials, all linked to a

nationally anchored and validated writing assessment

For more information, contact: [email protected] Friedrich, Ph.D., Director, research and evaluation; Sherry Swain, Ph.D., senior research Associate; Hee Jin Bang, Ph.D., senior research Associate

Inter-rater reliability rates by attribute for 9,129 double-scored papers

(22% of total N=40,583) from 2005 to 2011

Percent Holistic Content Structure Stance SentenceFluency Diction Conventions

Agreement 93 91 91 89 89 91 89

Cumulative

RelativeFrequency

distributionsof

Holisticscoresacross

allgradelevels

(N=498),

2008–2011.

Two raters’ scores are summed to produce a scale ranging from 2–12. The curves lie nearly directly on top of one another, indicat-ing exceptional scale consistency (i.e., consistent standards applied) across time.

“After scoring, I know more about how students need to develop. I can assess where they are and where they need to grow. I can

figure out what they need to know; every one of them needs something different.”

— LINDA buCHANAN, ed.D., resource Teacher, Tupelo, ms, 2009

handouts - les perelman

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