Part Two of the Writing Skills Test measures one’s ability to write essays about issues of general interest. There is no special knowledge needed to write an essay on any of the topics.

All of the topics used on this part of the test require the examinee to write something that presents their opinion or explains their views about the topic assigned.

How is the essay scored? Each of the essays written for the Writing Skills Test are scored by at least two trained readers who score the essays on their overall quality. They will then judge how the writer makes the major points of their composition, how they support their ideas, and how clearly they write.

All elements that make up a piece of writing are taken into consideration. Readers do not count every error made in spelling or grammar, but an essay with many of those mistakes might not receive a high score.

Essays must be written on the topic assigned to receive a score. One must pay attention to the questions asked if they are to write an effective essay about the topic.

After the readers have scored the papers, they combine their scores with the score of the multiple choice exam to create a composite score for the Writing Skills Test.

The following essay would receive a rating of 3 (highest score 6) based on the scoring guide. The paper has a single purpose. The supporting ideas are presented in clear sentences so the reader understands what the writer is saying. The paper would have been stronger if the writer had given the names of the television programs that are informational or entertaining. The mistakes made in the conventions of written English do not interfere with the reader’s ability to understand what is written.

Sample Essay:
The question of whether television is a positive or negative factor in grow of our children, can have its points in both ways. I feel that the argument, that all of the televisions sets should be unplugged, so that our children will grow up healthier, better educated, and independent is ridiculous as there are many informative, and educational and fun things to watch on television.

Television offers some educational stations, which have very informative shows and programs, people can learn from some of the programs on TV. Television is used for news and other information, without the news you would not know about the world around you, politics, and big events. Movies offer entertainment in the form of relaxation, and what better place than in your own home?

I agree that some of television today is none of the above, but the decision of what you watch is up to you. Our children can grow up with television, but adults should help them learn how to choose shows that are going to be good. Television can be instrumental, it can provide fun and entertainment and shows, that promote learning.

While the person scoring the essay does not count the actual mistakes, mistakes do influence the reader’s overall impression of the writing. For this reason, some of the errors in the sample essay are identifed below.

The first sentence is unclear due to the use of the word grow instead of growth. The first sentence is crucial because it states what the rest of the paper will say.

In the second sentence, there is no reason for a comma after unplugged. If you don’t have a use for a comma, leave it out. Also found in the second sentence, the use of fun things is too casual for the rest of the essay. The next sentence, beginning Television offers is actually two sentences joined together by a comma.

Everyone makes mistakes when they write quickly. Good writers take the time to go over what is written and correct them. Students taking practice tests are recommended to ask their teacher to help them score the essay.