The Georgia Writing Assessment January 21, 2009

Scoring: Ideas 40 % Organization 20 % Style 20 % Conventions 20 %

Testing time will be 100 minutes. No extra time is allowed except as specified in a student’s IEP or other, specific education plan. **Tip** Do not rush, but do not waste time!!

What will the writing prompt look like? You will be given either a persuasive or expository writing topic. The key is to look at the prompt carefully. What type of essay is it asking you to write? The answer to this question should drive your brainstorming (prewriting) and organization of the essay.

Persuasive essay Remember these strategies: Introduction : Attention grabber (Introduction Strategy) Topic sentence clearly stated (I strongly believe that…) Three main reasons why your idea is a good one Paragraph 2: Arguments AGAINST your idea Your answers to those arguments Paragraph 3: Argument or reason one supporting your idea Paragraph 4: Argument or reason two supporting your idea Paragraph 5: Argument or reason three supporting your idea Paragraph 6: Conclusion stating your position in one, clear sentence. Another sentence including three main reasons why your idea is a good one. A concluding statement.

Expository Essay Introduction: This captures your reader’s interest and informs him about the topic of your paper. You need an introduction strategy, topic sentence, and sentence briefing including your paper’s three main points. Body Paragraphs: These paragraphs each discuss one main idea with detail sentence that relate to each paragraph’s main idea. Conclusion: The conclusion restates your essay’s main idea and briefly highlights each of your three primary details.

Persuasive Writing Topic 114 Writing Situation Students and teachers use many types of transportation to get to school. Some ride buses, some ride in cars and others ride bicycles or walk. Your school is exploring ways of improving transportation for everyone who attends classes or works there. Each class has been asked to send in only one recommendation. Directions for Writing Think about how to improve transportation to your school. Write a speech to convince your classmates that your recommendation is the best one. Be sure to include detailed reasons.

Expository Writing Topic 214 Writing Situation Students use many types of transportation to get to school. Some students ride buses, some ride in cars and others ride bicycles or walk. Directions for Writing Think about the types of transportation students use to get to your school. Write an essay for your teacher explaining the advantages and disadvantages of using the different types of transportation. Be sure to include specific details so that your teacher will understand the advantages and disadvantages

You must use navy or black ink on your final copy. You may not use white out or erasable pen. You may print or use cursive writing. You must use only the two-sided, lined paper given to you in your answer booklet. You get 100 minutes to use wisely! You will need a pencil to fill out the answer document and for writing the rough draft should you prefer to use pencil for that. You should NOT skip lines, even between paragraphs! Indent instead!

Overview of Score Points 1-5 Five Levels of Competence GREEN = The degree to which the writer demonstrates control of the components. Score: 1 Lack of Control (of the elements of the domain) Score: 2 Minimal Control (of the elements of the domain) Score: 3 Sufficient Control (of the elements of the domain) Score: 4 Consistent Control (of the elements of the domain) Score: 5 Full Command (of the elements of the domain)