Page 205 - Teaching English at Primary Level: From Theory into the Classroom

Assessing Writing

Table 13.5 Cambridge English Writing Assessment Rating Scale
Content The candidate answered the question. They have done what they were
asked to do.
The candidate did not include everything they were asked to. They have
written something irrelevant.
Organisation The structure of the writing is clear. The order of the ideas is logical.
It is difficult for the reader to follow. It is organised in a way which is not suit-
able for the task, like beginning an email with a title.
Language There is a good range of vocabulary and grammar. Language is used accu-
rately.
Check the mistakes.

topics. For example, if the objective is for the learner to ‘be able to write
about their free time,’ learners need to practice writing similar texts during
their lessons and in this way develop the expected vocabulary and grammat-
ical structures. It is also important to provide children with real-life contexts
which will make the task relevant for them.
When designing rating scales in in assessing YLs writing it is useful to con-
sider that assessing writing is not just about correcting grammar or vocab-
ulary mistakes. In marking a piece of writing, Cambridge English examiners²
consider content, organisation and language.

Task Types
Several tasks can be used to assess YLs’ writing skills, from copying words
and completing crosswords to completing sentences or writing short texts.
A useful task type is also writing in speech bubbles in a cartoon story which
reflects the interaction of mini-dialogues and role plays (McKay, 2006).

Text Completion Tasks
Writing tasks for early writers will contain different kinds of support, such as
visuals and sentence completion tasks.

Writing a Description
Description tasks are commonly used for assessing YLs’ writing skills as they
often contain chunks and phrases which can be developed and practiced in a

² https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/pl/Images/603898-cer-6647-v1c-jul20_teacher-guide-for
-writing-a2-key-for-schools.pdf

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