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GED Language Arts Writing Test Part II

The Essay

Part II, the essay portion of the Language Arts, Writing Test, is one of the most daunting aspects of the GED for many students. In this portion of the test, the candidate must write an original essay in response to a given prompt. This essay must be written legibly, in ink, on the two pages provided in the answer sheet booklet. Scratch paper is provided for notes, outlines, mappings, etc. These notes are collected but not scored. There is some flexibility in the timing for this test. A total of 120 minutes is allowed for part one, the multiple-choice section, and part two, the essay section. While a candidate has 75 minutes to complete the 50 questions of part one, and 45 minutes for the essay, if he/she finishes the first part in less time, he/she can devote the remaining time to the essay. One important caveat is that if the candidate writes a first draft on scratch paper, and runs out of time to recopy it into the answer sheet booklet, he/she will NOT receive a score for the essay. Although there’s no specific word count requirement for the essay, and the two pages do not have to be filled, a well-developed five-paragraph essay will usually be at least 200 words.

The essay is scored by two trained GED essay readers using a 4-point scale. The two

readers’ scores are averaged. If the essay receives a score of 2 or higher, the essay score is combined with the language arts multiple-choice score to yield a composite score. If the score is 1 or 1.5, there’s no composite score, and the candidate must retake both the essay and the multiple-choice portions of the test. If the two readers differ by more than one point in their scoring, a third reader will also score the test, and the three scores will then be averaged. The GED candidate will only receive the composite score of both parts of the test; individual essay scores are not reported. However, the essay score accounts for 35%- 40% of the Language Arts, Writing Test composite score.

Essay scoring is based on five areas that measure the overall effectiveness of the essay. 1. The essay must respond to the assigned prompt. Does the writer show well-focused main points? If the candidate does not write specifically about the assigned topic or strays off-topic, then the essay will receive a score of 0, and he/she must retake BOTH parts of the Language Arts, Writing Test 2. Clear organization is evident. Will the reader see or follow an organized plan of development? 3. Sufficient development of the ideas is shown. Are there specific, relevant and varied details to support the writer’s main idea? Restating the same ideas over and over using different words is not a winning strategy. 4. The conventions of language are generally followed. To what degree does the writer have control of sentence structure, punctuation, grammar, and spelling? (Note: Many GED candidates worry unduly about spelling. If the essay has spelling errors but is still readable, (even if phonetic spelling is used) as long as the other essay criteria are met, it is possible for the candidate to earn a passable essay score. Since the essay is scored holistically, the GED readers appraise its overall effectiveness. 5. Word choice is precise, varied and appropriate. How well does the writer use a wide range of explicit and interesting words in his/her essay?

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Below are the four essay scores and their basic descriptions.

1 2 3 4 Inadequate Marginal Adequate Effective Reader has difficulty identifying or following the writer’s ideas.

Reader occasionally has difficulty understanding or following the writer’s ideas.

Reader understands writer’s ideas.

Reader understands and easily follows the writer’s expression of ideas.

Essay prompts differ from test to test and are not released in advance of the test. They

cover topics of general interest of which specific background knowledge is not required. Typically the prompt calls for the GED candidate to write an opinion or about personal experience; therefore, most GED essays are written in the first-person. (Note: If a student has no authentic experience with the topic of the prompt, he/she can use “poetic license” and fabricate the experience.)

An example of a GED essay prompt follows: What does it take to be a good parent? In your essay, describe the characteristics of a good parent. Give specific details to explain your views. Use personal observations, experience and knowledge.

Although the GED essay initially appears to be a formidable task, students can develop

both confidence and skill with sufficient practice. Nevertheless, practicing essay writing comes only after a student has gained some comfort and ease in putting his/her ideas on paper. In order to help a reluctant or hesitant writer gain self-assurance, sometimes it is best to spend time journal writing, free writing or writing personal narratives before the more structured and formal GED essay instruction begins.

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LA-WRITING CURRICULUM PART II

THE ESSAY

The student will demonstrate an ability to write a variety of sentences. The student will:

• Write a clear simple sentence • Write a compound sentence • Write a complex sentence • Edit sentences until grammatically correct

The student will demonstrate an ability to write a structurally and grammatically correct paragraph. The student will:

• Prepare for writing by brainstorming verbally and in writing • Develop a topic sentence • Write sentences that support the topic • Demonstrate a logical organizational pattern that includes a beginning, middle, and end • Use transitional words effectively • Write a concluding sentence that reflects the topic • Draft and revise paragraph as needed • Edit paragraph until grammatically and structurally correct

The student will demonstrate the ability to write a grammatically and structurally correct expository essay responding to a given topic. The student will:

• Brainstorm ideas in writing • Organize information before writing • Write a 3-paragraph essay that includes an introduction, body, and conclusion • Stay on topic • Use effective transition words between paragraphs • Read, edit, and revise until grammatically and structurally correct • Write a 5-paragraph essay that includes an introductory paragraph, 3 supporting paragraphs, and

a concluding paragraph.

Teaching Recommendations for Essay Writing

• Know your students! Listen to their reactions; remember their interests or give them “interest inventories” when they enter your GED class.

• Informally assess a student’s writing skills as soon as they enter your GED class. Ask them to write as much as they can about a topic that is “safe” (not too emotionally charged or controversial), but one that has some universal appeal. From this writing sample, you’ll get a good idea of each your student’s writing strengths and weaknesses. Find a Writing Sample in the Helpful Extras Section.

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• Individualize the assignments to match the student’s skill level. Everyone in your group

may be writing on the same topic, but some will focus on writing a paragraph, while more sophisticated writers can write a three-paragraph essay, while other more experienced writers can practice a timed, five-paragraph essay.

• Teach mechanics and usage in mini-lessons; use focused corrections to make sure your

students are incorporating the key elements of the lesson into their own writing. • Make sure students write as often as possible in as many classes as possible. Writing is a

skill that develops with adequate practice and support. Have conferences with individual students so they can get “live” feedback rather than stale comments on their papers.

• Use discussions after readings to model and teach how opinions can be backed with facts

and details. Encourage students to ask questions about what they’re reading.

• Steer clear of practice with “dry” essay topics until your students have had some fun and success with writing.

• Provide models of good writing—not just essays—so students can start to develop an

“ear” for a well-crafted sentence or paragraph. Highlight “golden lines” in these pieces that they’re reading. Teach some of the jargon writers use so your students can support their opinions about things they’re reading. Doing this will help to show them the relationship between reading and writing.

• Model how to construct a good paragraph. By spending time with the basics of

paragraph construction, such as the development of an awareness of topic sentences and supporting ideas, students will be able to clarify the link between paragraph construction and essay construction.

• Teach a variety of pre-writing methods—not everyone’s brain works the same way.

Some students love brainstorming lists, while others prefer a more non-linear approach like mapping. Graphic organizers work well for some people while others generate their best ideas through free writing. The important point is to have your students try all the techniques you demonstrate, and then encourage them to adopt the one(s) that work best for them.

• Since writing off-topic essays is a fairly common issue, study writing prompts in a

systematic way. Show students how essay prompts can be broken into three distinct sections (1) the topic, (2) the question, and (3) the task. Have students develop their own prompts and put them to the same three part scrutiny.

• Help students develop an individual spelling list. Their list should include words they misspell in their writing and use most often.

• Encourage students to use personal spellcheckers while practicing writing and editing.

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• Read well-written essays together and discuss what makes them effective and how they are organized.

• Ask students to share and read their sentences, paragraphs, or essays aloud in class.

Classmates could discuss the parts they enjoyed the most and ask questions about what they would like to know more about.

• Be sure that students are rereading and editing their own writing before asking someone

else to do it.

• Be sure that students actually read what they have written. Often our brains self-correct our writing and may see what we meant to write rather than what’s really there. Use the finger.

• If possible, be sure all students have a writing notebook.

1 2 3 4

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Inadequate Marginal Adequate Effective Reader has

difficulty identifying or following the writer’s ideas.


Reader understands writer’s ideas.


Response to the Prompt

Attempts to address prompt but with little or no success in establishing a focus.

Addresses the prompt, though the focus may shift.

Uses the writing prompt to establish a main idea.

Presents a clearly focused main idea that addresses the prompt.

Organization Fails to organize ideas.

Shows some evidence of an organizational plan.

Uses an identifiable organizational plan.

Establishes a clear and logical organization.

Development and Details

Demonstrates little or no development; usually lacks details or examples or presents irrelevant information.

Has some development but lacks specific details; may be limited to a listing, repetitions, or generalizations.

Has focused but occasionally uneven development; incorporates some specific detail.

Achieves coherent development with specific and relevant details and examples.

Conventions of EAE

Exhibits minimal or no control of sentence structure and the conventions of EAE.

Demonstrates inconsistent control of sentence structure and the conventions of EAE.

Generally controls sentence structure and the conventions of EAE.

Consistently controls sentence structure and the conventions of Edited American English (EAE).

Word Choice

Exhibits weak and/or inappropriate words.

Exhibits a narrow range of word choice, often including inappropriate selections.

Exhibits appropriate word choice.

Exhibits varied and precise word choice.

ESSAY SCORING RUBRIC

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Scored Sample Essays

Essay 1

What is one important goal you would like to achieve in the next few years?

In your essay, identify that goal. Explain how you plan to achieve it. Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge to support your essay.

The only goal I have is to see that my girlfriend and I get married and a healthy baby. It gets hard from time to time bet we’ve always managed to get over or through it. She’s all ready pregnant but I do every thing I can so that the baby will be has healthy as it can be. I now it will be hard to do but I am willing to take all responable and take care of her and my child. I think that this is the best goal I have in my life becaus her and that little bundle of joy in side of her mean more tome than any thing in this hole world.

Reprinted with permission of the GED Testing Service

This essay was given a score of 1 and did not pass.

Understanding Level 1 Characteristics

1 Inadequate Reader has difficulty identifying or following the writer’s ideas. Response to the Prompt

Attempts to address prompt but with little or no success in establishing a focus.

Organization Fails to organize ideas. Development and Details

Demonstrates little or no development; usually lacks details or examples or presents irrelevant information.

Conventions of EAE Exhibits minimal or no control of sentence structure and the conventions of EAE. Word Choice Exhibits weak and/or inappropriate words.

ESSAY 2

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The one most important goal I would like to achieve in the next few years is to become an accountant for a high-paying company. I am going to achieve this goal by attending accounting classes at Pine Techinical College in Pine City, Minnesota and then recieving an AAS degree. I don’t mind where I get an accounting job, just as long as its not so far away from where I live. There are a few minor goals I would like to achive. One is I want to get an older Chevy stepside and another is I would like to get married to my boyfriend, Dusty, which is actually kinda major.


This essay was given a score of 2.


2 Marginal



Addresses the prompt, though the focus may shift.

Organization Shows some evidence of an organizational plan. Development and Details

Has some development but lacks specific details; may be limited to a listing, repetitions, or generalizations.

Conventions of EAE Demonstrates inconsistent control of sentence structure and the conventions of EAE.

Word Choice Exhibits a narrow range of word choice, often including inappropriate selections.

ESSAY 3 What is one important goal you would like to achieve in the next few years?

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I have one major goal that I would like to accomplish in the next few years: to win a NCAA softball championship. I have other, more far-reaching goals, but for the time being I plan to focus on softball. Upon graduation, I will begin working towards my goal. In addition to playing for my high school team, I will also play for one or more traveling teams in the summer. This will give me the extra experience I will need when I enter as a freshman next fall at Transylvania University. Once I am there, I will work very hard. I plan on working out and practicing every day. I will also work hard in my classes, so that I remain eligible to play sports – this should not be a problem, for I am also an excellent student! Although Transylvania is only a NCAA Division II school, I feel that we have a legitimate shot at the championship title. I believe I will bring a lot to the program, and will greatly further their chances. I am a pitcher, and have been clocked in the 62-65 mph range, and I throw many other pitches beside the fastball. If I continue to work hard and practice, which I know I will, I have no doubt that I will reach my goal. It is only a matter of time before my hard work and dedication begin to pay off…when they do, the results will be incredible. If I continue w/my current work ethic, I will definitely bring home an NCAA championship.




3 Adequate

Reader understands writer’s ideas. Response to the Prompt Uses the writing prompt to establish a main idea. Organization Uses an identifiable organizational plan. Development and Details

Has focused but occasionally uneven development; incorporates some specific detail.

Conventions of EAE Generally controls sentence structure and the conventions of EAE. Word Choice Exhibits appropriate word choice.

Essay 4



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Over the next few years, my main goal is to obtain a college degree from St. Johns University in Collegville. This goal will be very difficult to obtain and I will need to work hard at it. Three things that will affect the outcome of my goal are; how much money I can raise to pay for it, how much time I am willing to spend studying, and my dedication in training for football. Before you can register at a college, you must consider how it is going to be paid for. This is especially an issue at St. Johns, because the tuition is around $22,000 a year. This is a huge sum of money. It is not made easier by the fact that my parents will be able to contribute very little towards my education. Thus I am forced to rely on scholarships, grants, and loans from the government and other agencies. I have already taken some action by applying for scholarships, but I will have to apply again next year. I received a $7,500 scholarship from St. Johns and they have also given me some grants. The rest of the money will have to come from student loans and an on campus job. The next area that will affect my goal is the classroom. This is important because the main point of college is to prepare meself for a successful career. In college, I will need to apply myself and take time to study every night. Sometimes, I may be forced to give up things that I would rather do, but I must if I am going to achieve my goal. I must create a relationship with my professors because they will help me obtain the information that is needed to be successful. The third thing is my dedication in training for football. Football is my favorite sport and St. Johns has an excellent football tradition. They have 150 players out for football each year. If I am going to be successful and contribute to the team, I am going to have to be dedicated to training. I must spend tireless hours in the weight room gaining strength and quickness. I believe all of the hard work will pay off. If I can do these three things, I will successfully complete my goal of graduation from college. If this goal is achieved, I believe I will be well on my way to a successful life




4 Effective


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Presents a clearly focused main idea that addresses the prompt.

Organization Establishes a clear and logical organization. Development and Details

Achieves coherent development with specific and relevant details and examples.

Conventions of EAE Consistently controls sentence structure and the conventions of Edited American English (EAE).

Word Choice Exhibits varied and precise word choice.

A Pre-writing Strategy

Discussion and Brainstorming about Topics Writing can be informally defined as thinking put down on paper. As a teacher, you have probably observed that “thinking of what to write about” can be a difficult first step. Professional writers call it “writer’s block.” Thus, one pre-writing activity would be to have a

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whole group discussion on various topics offered once a day or several times a week to get the “thinking” step practiced and the “block” removed. Below are some simple topics to start a discussion/brainstorming session going with your class: You will find some students’ ideas in italics.

Would you rather have a cat or a dog for your pet? Explain your reasons.

Dogs Cats warmer, friendlier less work helps blind litter box handy pulls wheelchairs don’t need yard protects children kids can help take care younger can guard your home longer life Always encourage students to include ideas related to their own personal experience in all thinking and then writing activities.

Would you rather live in a rural or urban area? Explain your reasons and include personal experience.

Rural Urban more peaceful closer to doctors/hospitals less crime quicker police response kids play more freely can use public transportation take care of pets easily never boring

What makes some people unhappy over the holidays?

lack of money, none or few relatives to celebrate with, too much to do, stress, kids home for 2 weeks, sometimes bad weather, kids inside all the time

TV can be very educational. Explain why.

All the children’s channels, history channel, Discovery channel if you have it, listening to the political debates, weather, shows that give you tips on things These are all good and safe group topics and not very personal. It is recommended that you start with these types of topics. Below are some personal topics that you can have students think on their own about or, if it is appropriate,12 with a partner. Write about a person in your life that has deeply influenced you.

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Describe a day that you would consider perfect for you. If you were ordered to have a tattoo, what would you choose? Explain why. Describe a skill that you have that you would share with others Always have the student jot down their ideas not just verbalize them. It can be a good idea to have students keep a notebook with many of their personal opinions on things. Eventually many topics have to be turned into essays, but time spent on thinking and discussing can be very valuable to the future writer. Practicing Essay Writing with the Read/Think/Write Essay Map www.readwritethink.org

The Essay Map from the Read/Think/Write website allows the student to practice the five-paragraph essay structure either on a computer, or with a hard copy of the essay map. After the student writes an introduction, it prompts the student to provide three main ideas and three supporting ideas for every main idea; and after those are complete the student is asked to write a

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conclusion. Most people have opinions, but many have a difficult time elaborating upon the reasons why they hold their opinions. With some practice with graphic organizers such as this, students can learn to develop their reasoning power.

However, before you ask your students to write an essay to respond to a more formal prompt, it’s a good idea to let them practice with the five-paragraph essay format with a topic that is very familiar to them. For example, here’s an essay about why it’s good to own a dog. You could ask the students to write, “Why I do (do not) enjoy owning a dog.” First the student can fill out the essay map, and from there, develop an essay. It’s helpful to students to show them models of different kinds of essays. Here’s an example of an opinion essay about the aforementioned topic.

I think dogs are really a great thing to have around the house. Some people think they

are too much trouble, but I think their benefits far outweigh the work that they require. Dogs are good protectors, good companions and good exercise buddies.

I think most intruders would be very wary to enter a house if they heard the bark of a dog behind the door. Even a friendly dog can sound menacing when he is barking at an unknown footstep at the door. When you are outside walking, people don’t think of bothering you if you’re walking a big dog. Dogs will even wake you from your sleep if they sense something is wrong. They’re always on duty to watch out for their owners.

Of course, dogs are great companions. They are not judgmental, and they love you even when you’re having a bad day. Unlike temperamental cats, dogs are always in a good mood. If you need someone to listen to you, your dog is the one, and they don’t talk back! They can sense when you are sad, and help you feel more in the present moment when you’re blue.

Finally, dogs are good exercise buddies. Your dog needs to go out every day of the year….and so will you. It’s easy to keep your New Years’ resolution to get outside and walk every day when a dog is in your life. The great part is that even the worst weather isn’t so bad once you’re outside walking with your pooch. So you can thank your canine friend for that favor to your health. How much nicer is it for your sense of well being to walk in the open air than to spend your time on a treadmill or to walk round and round on the concrete floor at the mall.

Dogs make life sweet. Although they need attention and discipline, they are well worth the effort. They give you unconditional love and they appreciate every aspect of their lives. They are really wonderful teachers about how to live a good life. Find the essay map on the following pages.

Some Signal Words Used in Essay Writing

Introductory Phrases In my opinion There is no doubt that I question I (dis) agree I believe From my point of view It is my belief It seems to me that

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Concluding Phrases For the reasons above To sum up In Short In brief As you can see To be sure Undoubtedly In any event As I have noted Without a doubt In conclusion In any case In other words Obviously Concluding On the whole Supporting Opinions First Furthermore Equally important Besides Further Second In addition In the first place Next Again Third Also Likewise Moreover Similarly Finally Last Introducing Details For example For instance In support of this In fact As evidence Cause and Effect Since Caused by In effect Because of This results in Brought about Due to Consequently Made possible For this reason Accordingly As might be expected Therefore As a result Give rise to If ….then Leads to Was responsible for Compare and Contrast Similarly Likewise As well as Whether or not Compared to In the same way Have in common Even though In the like manner Contrasting All are Rather than On the other hand On the contrary The same as Nevertheless Although As opposed to Conversely In spite of Countering I realize you believe but I understand you feel yet Even though you maintain however Although you want I doubt Some people favor Let me explain It may be that you support On the other hand On the contrary Nevertheless

Forty-Five Minute Plan for GED Essay Success

It takes a long time to learn to be a competent writer. Most times in real-life situations, we write and rewrite when we have an important document to prepare. But for the GED Essay, the candidate will only have 45 minutes to plan and complete an essay. So it’s important to not

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only teach your students how to write well, but also it’s important to teach how to write in an allotted amount of time. One idea is to use the Plan for Success below to ensure a good essay. Forty-five Minute Plan for Success Read directions and topic: 3 minutes Prewriting (freewriting, brainstorming, clustering or mapping, etc.): 5 minutes Organize (write a thesis statement or controlling idea and outline main ideas): 3 minutes Draft (write the essay): 20 minutes Revise (read through the essay and make changes to ideas): 8 minutes Edit (check for correctness in grammar and spelling): 6 minutes

Practice Writing Topics

What does it take to be a good parent? In your essay describe characteristics of a good parent. Give specific details to explain your view. Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge. What has been the happiest day of your life so far?

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In your essay tell what happened that made it so wonderful. Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge. If you could spend one day with anyone, who would it be? In your essay tell why you chose this person. How would you spend the day with this person? What is the most important goal in your life? In your essay write about why you chose this goal, how you plan to achieve it, and how it will effect your life. We all work or will work in our jobs with many kinds of people. In your opinion, what are some of the important characteristics of a co-worker? Use reasons and specific examples to explain why these characteristics are important. Is it better to live in a small town or a big city? Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge to explain your choice.

Part II is a test to determine how well you can use written language to explain your ideas.

In preparing your essay, you should take the following steps:

• Read the DIRECTIONS and the TOPIC carefully.

• Plan your essay before you write. Use scratch paper provided to make any notes. These notes will be collected but not scored.

• Before you turn in your essay, reread what you have written and make any changes that will improve your essay.

Your essay should be long enough to develop the topic adequately.

Quick Tips for Success: Language Arts, Writing Test

Owl.english.purdue.edu

This section is intended to give you some quick tips to use while writing the GED essay. Review these tips while writing practice essays so that you can get used to them before taking the actual GED.

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Relax. Many people find the essay portion of the GED stressful. You will write a much better essay if you relax. Take a few deep breaths and relax your muscles. Remind yourself that the essay you produce will be a rough draft. Try your best, but know that you are not expected to produce perfection in 45 minutes! Plan. Don’t just dive into writing your essay. Instead, take a few minutes to plan. You should think about your main points, your support and development, and your organization. The five-paragraph model. For a timed writing situation like the GED essay, the five-paragraph model provides a clear method of organization. A five-paragraph essay contains:

1. an introductory paragraph that clearly states the essay’s main point 2. three body paragraphs that develop and support the essay’s main point 3. a concluding paragraph that wraps up the essay.

Start up and wrap up. Perhaps the most important parts of your essay are the first and last paragraphs. This is because the first paragraph is your reader’s first impression of your writing and the last paragraph is your reader’s last impression. Therefore, you should take some time to write both a strong introduction and a strong conclusion. Focus your paragraphs. Make sure each of your body paragraphs has a clear main point. A good way to do this is to use the first sentence of each paragraph (the topic sentence) to state the paragraph’s main point. Stick to the topic. It is important that you write about the assigned topic. Essays that focus on topics other than the assigned one will not be scored. While you’re writing, remind yourself of the topic at hand and check to make sure you’re not straying from it. Use what you know. The essay topic will allow you to draw on your own observations, knowledge, and experience. Take advantage of this! When you write your essay, include personal observations, knowledge, and experiences that are relevant to the topic.

Keep an eye on the clock. As you are writing, keep an eye on how much time you have left. Be careful not spend so much time on one paragraph that you are unable to finish the essay. Some people even like to keep a specific time limit for each paragraph. Write legibly. Your reader needs to be able to read your essay. Do not expect that you will have time to neatly re-write a final draft. Instead, print or write your essay as neatly as you can the first time around. Writing slowly and carefully will help. If you find an error or just want to change something, draw one line through the word(s) you wish to

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change and write the corrections neatly above. Proofread. When writing timed essays, people often make grammar mistakes. You should save a few minutes at the end to read through your essay so that you can find and correct most of your errors. Practice, practice, practice. Use the CWEST resources on the OWL and materials provided by your learning institute to write as many practice essays as possible.

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