INTERMEDIATE, UPPER-INTERMEDIATE & PRE-FACULTY CAT WRITING CRITERIA

(Total: 20 points)
All qualifiers in the criteria below should be considered with respect to the relevant level and the writing task given.

GRAMMAR

5 high degree of grammatical control shown over a wide range of appropriate structures; some
complex structures are evident although there may be errors in their use that do not hinder
understanding
4
mostly accurate use of a good range of appropriate structures with some minor errors
3
sufficiently accurate use of an adequate range of structures with some language errors but
meaning is not obscured
2
inadequate range of structures with some basic language errors which at times may obscure
meaning and/or use of language below level expectations
1
poor range of structures with basic and frequent language errors which often obscure meaning
0
serious lack of language; inadequate sample for scoring

NB There are two dimensions in this category - grammatical accuracy (or control) and range - a
paper should be given the grade which fits both dimensions. If one of the dimensions is lacking
compared to the other, the paper should be given the grade that fits the lower of the two (i.e. a
paper with sufficient accuracy but inadequate range would get a 2 for grammar).

VOCABULARY

5 wide range of vocabulary used appropriately with almost no instances of misuse (i.e. word
choice / word formation) and very few spelling mistakes

4 good range of vocabulary used mostly appropriately with occasional instances of misuse and
few spelling mistakes

3 sufficient range of vocabulary used fairly appropriately although some errors are apparent and
some problems in spelling

2 inadequate range of vocabulary and/or frequent inappropriate use which at times may obscure
meaning, frequent problems in spelling

1 poor range of vocabulary with serious problems in accuracy and/or usage, major problems with
spelling
0
almost no control of vocabulary; inadequate sample for scoring

NB There are two dimensions in this category - lexical range and appropriateness (or usage) - a
paper should be given the grade which fits both dimensions. If one of the dimensions is lacking
compared to the other, the paper should be given the grade that fits the lower of the two (i.e. a
paper with sufficient lexical range but used mostly inappropriately would get a 2 for
vocabulary).
 INTERMEDIATE, UPPER-INTERMEDIATE & PRE-FACULTY CAT WRITING CRITERIA
(Total: 20 points)
CONTENT

5 very good response to the prompt; a fully developed passage (with respect to exemplification and
details) with very good justification (with respect to the quality of ideas)

4 good response to the prompt; a well-developed passage with good justification

3 adequate response to the prompt; an adequately developed passage with satisfactory justification

2 attempts to respond to the prompt but inadequately; some development of ideas but with inadequate
justification and/or frequent repetition- content is not always clear and/or partly irrelevant

1 response is considerably irrelevant; poor development of ideas with little attempt at justification and/or
almost completely repetitious and/or incomplete

0 response is completely irrelevant to the task; almost no attempt at answering the prompt

NB There are two dimensions in this category - relevance of the ideas and development /
justification(s) of the ideas.
A paper should be given the grade which fits both dimensions. If one of the dimensions is lacking
compared to the other, the paper should be given the grade that fits the lower of the two (i.e. a paper
that presents adequate ideas but justifies them inadequately would get a 2 for content).

ORGANIZATION

5 very fluent passage; the text flows in a meaningful and a logical way, all aspects of cohesion managed
well (i.e. linkers, referencing, punctuation)

4 mostly fluent passage; information provided mostly flows in a meaningful and logical way, a range of
cohesive devices used appropriately, although there may be some under/over-use

3 adequately fluent passage; information is ordered meaningfully and logically, cohesive devices used
although cohesion within and/or between parts of the text/sentences may be faulty at times

2 lacks fluency despite some evidence of organization; “jumpiness” in places; inappropriate, inadequate
or overuse of cohesive devices leads to problems with transitions between ideas

1 almost complete lack of fluency; a limited range of cohesive devices and/or cohesive devices may be
inaccurate, repetitive, or may not provide a logical relationship or show a clear transition between ideas

0 very little or no control of organizational features

NB There are two dimensions in this category - the flow (fluency) and cohesion of the information
presented.
A paper should be given the grade which fits both dimensions. If one of the dimensions is lacking
compared to the other, the paper should be given the grade that fits the lower of the two (i.e. a paper
that gives information in a meaningful and logical order but makes inadequate use of cohesive devices
would get a 2 for organization).

 If the task is not attempted, the student will receive a total grade of ‘0’.
 If the student writes a response to the task which is totally (100%) irrelevant, the student will receive a
total grade of ‘1’.
 If the student writes what appears to be a memorized response, please consult the standardization leader.
In such a case, the student will receive a maximum grade of ‘3’ (Grammar: 1 / Vocabulary: 1 / Content: 0 /
Organization: 1). LAST UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2019