How the OSSLT is MarkedBreakdowns and Question Types

Terminology Selection – The thing you read (information paragraph,

news report, real life narrative, dialogue, or graphic text) Prompt – The question you are answering or the topic you

are writing about Response – Your answer; you answer the “prompt” in

writing questions; you write about the “selection” to answer the “prompt” in reading questions

Scoring – Marking or grading; score is called a Code and they go by 10s. If you get 30, it is a Code 30

Conventions – Spelling, grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation

What is a Pass? What is the Mark Breakdown? “Provincial Standard” is Level 3 or about 70% Reading Tasks are worth about 54% of the final mark Writing Tasks are work about 46% of the final mark

Breakdown of Reading Tasks 5 Reading Tasks: Information Paragraph, Graphic Text, News

Report, Dialogue, and Real-Life Narrative

Breakdown of Writing Tasks Four types of Writing Tasks: News Report, Series of

Paragraphs, Short Answer (x2), Multiple Choice (x8 or 10) Two long writing tasks equal 24% of the final mark

Overview by Question Type Two long writing tasks = 24% (just under a quarter) Six short answer tasks (4 reading and 2 writing) = 27% (just

over a quarter Multiple Choice (both reading and writing) = 49% (just under

half)

Best Strategies to Pass Above all READ the QUESTIONS

Unpack questions, even if it is just underlining the “to do” parts without rewording

Answer what the question is asking The most beautifully supported answer will get Code 0 if it

doesn’t answer the question For short answer, use words from the question to start

your answer For Writing News Report, pick out important words in the

headline and images in the picture to brainstorm 5W+H before your start writing

For Reading Multiple Choice, look back at the text and find key words from the question

Best Strategies to Pass Answer every Multiple Choice question Use Five Every Time Paragraphs for short answer

questions (reading and writing) Use all 6 lines

Use Five Every Time Essay format for Series of Paragraphs; if you struggle to come up with 3 examples for any of the 3 reasons, have at least 2 good examples per reason Use all 50 lines

Use Writing News Reports Formula to make sure you include the minimum requirements Use all 25 lines

How Reading Open Response Questions are Scored and Tips to Pass Out of 30 (by 10s) Code 0 is an epic fail

Skipped the question or didn’t answer the question Code 10 is a fail;

Question was answered, but there was no support or irrelevant support

Code 20 is better, but it depends on the rest of the test score whether getting all Code 20s will boost to a pass or not Question was answered and support was relevant, but vague

Code 30 is a guaranteed pass on this section Question was answered and support was relevant and specific Restate question when answering Use solid evidence from the text to support the answer

How Writing News Report is Scored 2 separate scores

Topic Development = out of 60 (by 10s) Writing Conventions = out of 40 (by 10s)

=100 marks total

Topic Development What you write

Proper News Report Format Relates to headline and picture Includes enough specific detail (5W+H) Includes 2 quotes

Writing Conventions How you write

Spelling, grammar, sentence structure, punctuation

What is the Minimum to Pass Writing New Report? Topic Development = Code 40, Code 50, or Code 60

Clear connection to headline and photo Clear and consistent focus on an event Enough supporting details; some specific, some a bit vague Quotation in quotation marks “ ” and identifies speaker Has multiple short paragraphs; marker can tell that there are

paragraphs (indent) Writing Conventions = Code 30 or Code 40

You can make some mistakes and still pass Mistakes can’t get in the way of understanding the News Report

How Writing Series of Paragarphs is Scored 2 separate scores

Topic Development = out of 60 (by 10s) Writing Conventions = out of 40 (by 10s)

=100 marks total Topic Development

What you write Coming up with an opinion and doing a good job backing it up with

proof (reasons and examples) Having a clear opinion on one side of the topic with enough reasons

and examples to support it Putting opinion, reasons, and examples together in a way that makes

sense and helps prove your point Clearly stating opinion at beginning and end (introduction and

conclusion paragraphs) Writing Conventions

How you write Spelling, grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation

What is the Minimum to Pass Writing Series of Paragraphs? Topic Development = Code 40, Code 50, or Code 60

Five obviously indented paragraphs Clear opinion in first and last paragraph; opinion consistent all the

way through Three reasons, each supported with some example/detail Linking words at the beginning of all paragraphs but the first

Writing Conventions = Code 30 or Code 40 You can make some mistakes and still pass Mistakes can’t get in the way of understanding the Series of

Paragraphs

How Writing Open Response Questions are Scored and Tips to Pass 2 separate scores

Topic Development = out of 30 (by 10s) Writing Conventions = out of 20 (by 10s)

=50 marks total Topic Development

What you write Coming up with a clear answer and backing it up with solid

proof or examples Code 30 is a guaranteed pass on this section

Question was answered and support was relevant and specific Restate question when answering Use solid evidence to support the answer; make it personal and

use what you know

How Writing Open Response Questions are Scored and Tips to Pass Writing Conventions

How you write Spelling, grammar, sentence structure, punctuation

Pass = Code 20 You can make some mistakes and still pass Mistakes can’t get in the way of understanding the answer