Essays

Essays, classified as non-objective

tests, allow for the assessment of
higher order thinking skills. Such
tests require students to organize
their thoughts on a subject matter in
coherent sentences in order to
inform an audience. In essay tests,
students are required to write one or
more paragraphs on a specific topic.
Essay questions can be used to measure
attainment of a variety of objectives.

1 Comparing 2 Relating cause-and- effect

- Describe the similarities and - What are the major causes of ....
differences between... - What would be the most likely
- Compare the following effects of...
methods for.

3 Justifying
- Which of the following alternatives would you favor and why?
- Explain why you agree or disagree with the ff. statement.
4 Summarizing 5 Generalizing
- State the points included in... - Formulate several valid generalizations
- Briefly summarize the from the following data.
contents of ... - State a set of principles that can explain
the following events.

6 Inferring 7
Classifying
- In the light of the facts presented,
- Group the following items according to ...
what is most likely to happen when...
- How would Senator X be most - What do the following items have in
likely to react to the bomb explosion common?
after the bar examination last
September?
8 Applying
- Using the principles of____as guide,
describe how you would solve the
following problem situation.
- Describe a situation that illustrates the
principle of ____.
10 Evaluating 11
- Describe the strengths and
weaknesses of the following...
- Using the criteria developed in class,
write an evaluation of ....
9 Analyzing
- Describe the reasoning errors in the
following paragraphs.
- List and describe the main
characteristics of ..
Creating
- Make up a story describing what would
happen if …
- Design a plan to prove that ...
- Write a well-organized report that shows ...
Types of Essay
 Restricted Essay
It is also referred to as short focused response.
Examples are asking students to "write an example,"
"list three reasons,” or “compare and contrast two
techniques."

Sample Short Response Question

(10th Grade Reading)
How are the scrub jay and the mockingbird different? Support your
answer with details and information from the article.
 Non-restricted /Extended Essay
"Extended responses can be much longer and complex
than short responses, but students are encouraged to
remain focused and organized.

Sample Extended Response Question

(5th Grade Science)
Robert is designing a demonstration to display at his school's science fair. He will
show how changing the position of a fulcrum on a lever changes the amount of force
needed to lift an object. To do this, Robert will use a piece of wood for a lever and a
block of wood to act as a fulcrum. He plans to move the fulcrum to different places on
the lever to see how its placement affects the force needed to lift an object.
Part A Identify at least two other actions that would make Robert's demonstration
better.
Part B Explain why each action would improve the demonstration.
Source: https://fcit.usf.edu/assessment/constructed/constructb.html
 The following are rules
of thumb which facilitate the
scoring of essays:
Rule 1: Phrase the direction in such a way that students are guided
on the key concepts to be included. Specify how the students should
respond.

Example
Using details and information from the article (Hundred Islands),
summarize the main points of the article. For a complete and correct
response, consider these points:
•its history (10 pts)
• its interesting features (10 pts)
• why it is a landmark (5 pts)
Non-example
Using details and information from the article (Hundred Islands)
summarize the main points of the article.
Source: https:/fcit.usf.edu/assessment/constructed/constructb.html
Rule 2: Inform the students on the criteria to be used for
grading their essays. This rule allows the students to focus on
relevant and substantive materials rather than on peripheral
and unnecessary facts and bits of information.

Example: Write an essay on the topic: "Plant Photosynthesis"

using the keywords indicated. You will be graded according to
the following criteria: (a) coherence, (b) accuracy of
statements, (c) use of keywords, (d) clarity and (e) extra points
for innovative presentation of ideas.
Rule 3: Put a time limit on the essay test.

Rule 4: Decide on your essay grading system prior to getting the

essays of your students.

Rule 5: Evaluate all of the students' answers to one question

before proceeding to the next question.
Scoring or grading essay tests question by question, rather than student by
student, makes it possible to maintain a more uniform standard for judging the
answers to each question. This procedure also helps offset the halo effect in grading.
When all of the answers on one paper are read together, the grader's impression of the
paper as a whole is apt to influence the grades he assigns to the individual answers.
Grading question by question, of course, prevents the formation of this overall
impression of a student's paper. Each answer is more apt to be judged on its own
merits when it is read and compared with other answers to the same question, than
when it is read and compared with other answers by the same student.
Rule 6: Evaluate answers to essay questions without
knowing the identity of the writer.
This is another attempt to control personal bias during
scoring. Answers to essay questions should be evaluated in
terms of what is written, not in terms of what is known about
the writers from other contacts with them. The best way to
prevent our prior knowledge from influencing our judgment is
to evaluate each answer without knowing the identity of the
writer. This can be done by having the students write their
names on the back of the paper or by using code numbers in
place of names.
Rule 7: Whenever possible, have two or more persons grade
each answer.
The best way to check on the reliability of the scoring of essay answers is to
obtain two or more independent judgments. Although this may not be a feasible
practice for routine classroom testing, it might be done periodically with a fellow
teacher (one who is equally competent in the area). Obtaining two or more
independent ratings becomes especially vital where the results are to be used for
important and irreversible decisions, such as in the selection of students for
further training or for special awards. Here the pooled ratings of several
competent persons may be needed to attain level of reliability that is
commensurate with the significance of the decision being made.
Some teachers use the cumulative criteria i.e. adding the weights given to each
criterion, as basis for grading while others use the reverse. In the latter method,
each student begins with a score of 100. Points are then deducted every time a
teacher encounters a mistake or when a criterion is missed by the student in his
essay.
Rule 8: Do not provide optional questions. It is difficult to construct questions
of equal difficulty and so teacher cannot have valid comparison of students'
achievement.

Rule 9: Provide information about the value/weight of the question and how it
will be scored.

Rule 10: Emphasize higher level thinking skills.

Example:
Scientists have found that oceans can influence the temperature of nearby
landmasses. Coastal landmasses tend to have more moderate temperatures in
summer and winter than inland landmasses of the same latitude.
Non Example:
Considering the influence of ocean temperatures, explain why inland
temperatures vary in summer and winter to a greater degree than coastal
temperatures. List three coastal land masses.