SECTION B – CONTINUOUS WRITING | |ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES | |To test candidates’ ability to: | |produce a piece of continuous prose in accurate Standard English | |respond relevantly and creatively to a task chosen from a number of alternatives. | | |Particular emphasis is placed upon the candidates’ ability to: | |write sentences of various lengths and types, using a variety of sentence structures as an aid to meaning. | |use a wide range of vocabulary with precision. | |punctuate accurately and effectively. | |write in paragraphs which are appropriate linked and show cohesion. | |spell accurately over the full range of vocabulary. | |respond with relevance and precision to the chosen topic. |engage and sustain the interest of the reader. | CATEGORY DESCRIPTIONS FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF CONTINUOUS WRITING |Mark range |Description of criteria | |A |The language is entirely accurate apart from very occasional first drafts slips | |44 – 50 |Sentence structure is varied and sophisticated – shows the candidate is able to use various types of sentences to achieve| | |a particular effect. | |Vocabulary is wide and used with precision. | | |Punctuation is accurate and helpful to the reader. | | |Spelling is accurate across the full range of vocabulary used. | | |Paragraphs are well-planned, have unity and are linked. | | |The topic is addressed with consistent relevance. | | |The interest of the reader is aroused and sustained throughout the writing. | |B |The language is accurate; occasional errors are either minor or first draft slips. |38 – 43 |Sentences show some variation of length and type, including some complex sentences. | | |Vocabulary is wide enough to convey intended shades of meaning with some precision | | |Punctuation is almost always accurate and generally helpful | | |Spelling is nearly always accurate | | |Paragraphs show some evidence of planning, have unity and are usually appropriately linked. | |The piece of writing is relevant to the topic and the interest of the reader is aroused and sustained through most of the| | |composition. |C |The language is largely accurate | |32 – 37 |Simple structures are used without error; errors may occur when more sophisticated structures are attempted | | |Sentences may show some variety of structure and length but there is a tendency to use one type structure, giving it a | | |monotonous effect | | |Vocabulary is wide enough to convey intended meaning but may lack precision | | |Punctuation of simple structures is accurate on the whole but errors may occur in more complex uses. | | |Simple words will be spelt correctly but errors occur when more sophisticated words are used. | | |The composition is written in paragraphs which may show some unity, although links may be absent or inappropriate. | | |The writing is relevant but may lack originality and planning. Some interest is aroused but not sustained. |D |The language is sufficiently accurate to communicate meaning clearly to the reader. | |26 – 31 |There will be patches of clear, accurate language, particularly when simple vocabulary and structures are used. | | |There is some variety of sentence type and length but the purpose is not clearly seen. Punctuation is generally correct | | |but does not clarify meaning. | | |Vocabulary is usually adequate to show intended meaning but this is not developed to show precision. | | |Simple words will be spelt correctly but more spelling errors will occur. | | |Paragraphs are used but show lack of planning or unity. | |The topic is addressed with some relevance but the reader may find composition at this level lacking in liveliness and | | |interest value. | |E |Meaning is never in doubt, but errors are sufficiently frequent and serious to hamper reading. | |20 – 25 |Some simple structures may be accurate, but a script at this level is unlikely to sustain accuracy for long. | | |Vocabulary is limited – either too simple to convey precise meaning or more ambitious but imperfectly understood. | | |Simple words may be spelt correctly but frequent errors in spelling and punctuation make reading the script difficult. | | |Paragraphs lack unity or are haphazardly arranged. | |The subject matter will show some relevance to the topic but only a partial treatment is given. | | |The high incidence of linguistic errors is likely to distract the reader from any merits of content the composition may | | |have. | |U (i) |Meaning is fairly clear but the high incidence of errors throughout the writing will definitely impede the reading. | |14 – 19 |There will be many serious errors of various kinds throughout the script, but they are mainly of the single word type, | | |i. e. they could be corrected without rewriting the whole sentence. | | |A script at this level will have very few accurate sentences. | | | | |Although communication is established, the frequent errors may cause blurring | | |Sentences will be simple and very often repetitive. | | |Punctuation will sometimes be used correctly but sentence separation errors may occur. | | |Paragraphs lack unity or there may not be any paragraphs at all. | |U (ii) |The reader is able to get some sense out of the script but errors are multiple in nature, requiring the reader to read | |8 – 13 |and re-read before being able to understand. | |At this level, there may be only a few accurate but simple sentences. | | |The content may be comprehensible, but the incidence of linguistic error is so high as to make meaning blur. | | |This type of script may also be far short of the required number of words. | |U (iii) |Scripts in this category are almost entirely impossible to read. | |0 – 7 |Whole sections may make little or no sense at all | | |Where occasional patches of clarity occur, marks should be awarded. | | |The mark ‘0’ should only be given if script makes no sense at all, from the beginning to end. |