Transcript Rules for taking Tasp Writing

An Overview
of the
THEA or Accuplacer
Writing Test
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
"Success is the sum of small efforts--repeated
day in and day out." (Robert Collier)
Table of contents
Part 1: Contents of writing test
 Part 2: Seven characteristics writing
test
 Part 3: How is the test scored?
 Part 4: Example of multiple choice
questions
 Part 5: Essay tips

Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
Part 1: Contents of
writing test
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
The writing test is composed of
. . .

Forty multiple choice questions about
different grammatical and stylistic
problems

Also you must write a 350 to 500 word
persuasive essay.
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
Part 2: Seven
Characteristics of
writing test
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Spring 2001
Seven Characteristics

Content and
Structure
1.Appropriateness
2.Unity and focus
3.Organization
4.Development
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Spring 2001
Language
5.Sentence
structure
6.Usage
7.Mechanical
conventions
Appropriateness

Purpose and audience

Appropriate style
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
Unity and Focus

Thesis statement
Supporting points
or reasons

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Spring 2001
Organization

Coherence
a.Transition phrases
b.Ordering of ideas
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Spring 2001
Development

Adequate examples

Specific examples
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Spring 2001
Sentence Structure
Fragments
 Run-ons
 Subject and verb agreement
 Pronoun reference
 Faulty modification
 Faulty parallelism

Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
Usage
Word choice
 Adjective, adverbs and pronouns
 Tense agreement
 Shift in person
 Misuse of negative
 Ineffective repetition

Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
Mechanical conventions

Spelling

Capitalization

Punctuation

Handwriting
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Spring 2001
Part 3: How is the
writing test scored?
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
Essay part
Step one: Two readers score your essay. You
can earn from 1 to 4 points,
1 the lowest score and 4 the highest.
Step two: The two scores are totaled.
Step three: This means you may score a total
of from 2 to 8 points on the essay part.
Step four:If you score 2-3-or 4, you have failed
the exam.
If you score 6-7-or 8, you have passed the
exam.
Step five (if necessary) :If you score a 5, the
multiple choice part of the test will be scored.
If you score a 220 or above, you have
passed. 200 or below you have failed.
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
When writing the essay, keep in
mind that . . .

The readers will be considering whether
or not you have successfully met the
seven characteristics.
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
Part 4: Example of
multiple choice
questions
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
1In addition to being one of the world’s most vital food crops; rice is used
to meet a broad range of needs. 2 The Japanese make an alcoholic
beverage called sake from it, and brewers sometimes use it to make beer.
3 Equally important are the plant’s by-products. 4In some regions,
farmers use rice bran, the brown skin surrounding a kernel, as a livestock
feed.5 Other people extract oil from the bran to make soap and margarine.
6 Rice grains also have rough outer shells, its hulls, that serve as an
inexpensive fuel in many places. 7 Even dried rice stalks have their uses.
8Many Asians use them to make hats and sandals, and to thatch the roofs
of their homes.









1.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Which one, if any, of the following changes is needed in the above passage?
Part 1: Change the semicolon after “crops” to a comma
Part 4: Delete the comma after “bran.”
Part 8: Change the comma after “sandals” to a colon
None of these changes is needed
2.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Which of the following parts of the passage displays nonstandard usage?
Part 2
Part 3
Part 6
Part 7
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
Once again, keep in mind, as
with the essay, . . .
 All
of the multiple choice
questions, will be based on the
seven characteristics.
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
Part 5: Essay Tips
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
The essay must be
persuasive.
A.
B.
You are trying to convince an
audience, usually a teacher or
government official, of some particular
issue.
You must take a position: for or
against. Do not argue for both.
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
When you take the writing exam, you will be
given a prompt based on which you will write
your essay. But what is a prompt?
Prompt defined: A paragraph that contains the
information for you to write your essay.
 The prompt usually consists of four parts:
 Part one: The question
 Part two: One side of an argument
 Part three: The opposing side of an
argument
 Part four: Directions
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
Sample Prompt:

Children killing children is all too common today. More
often than not, a handgun is used as a weapon. Should
guns be made illegal? Some people believe that we
should make guns illegal because they feel that the
number of accidental shootings would decrease, the
streets would be safer, and people would be less likely to
harm loved ones in moments of anger. Other people
believe that making guns illegal would infringe on
citizens’ rights to bear arms, leave innocent people no
means of protecting themselves and their property, and
allow crime to increase since only the criminals would
find ways to get the guns. Write an essay of 350-500
words for an academic audience in which you take a
position on the preceding issue. Support your position
with logical arguments and appropriate examples.
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
Sample Prompt broken down into parts.

Question:

Children killing children is all too common today. More often
than not, a handgun is the weapon used. Should guns be
made illegal?

Proponents:

Some people believe that we should make guns illegal because
they feel that the number of accidental shootings would
decrease, the streets would be safer, and people would be less
likely to harm loved ones in moments of anger.

Opponents:

Other people believe that making guns illegal would infringe on
citizens’ rights to bear arms, leave innocent people no means of
protecting themselves and their property, and allow crime to
increase since only the criminals would find ways to get the
guns.

Directions:

Write an essay of 350-500 words for an academic audience in
which you take a position on the preceding issue. Support your
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
positionSpring
with
logical arguments and appropriate examples.
2001
Last words about prompt.
A. Make sure you understand the prompt
before you start writing.
B. You may use the reasons provided in
the prompt in your own essay to form
your argument.
C. However, do not copy sentences
directly from the prompt onto your own
essay. Put the ideas into your own words.
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
The essay must be 5
paragraphs long
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Spring 2001
Introductory paragraph
Must be at least 50 words in length,
three sentences
B. Remember this is the most important
paragraph of the essay
C. You need to revise and check the
paragraph at least 3 times
A.
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
In the introductory
paragraph, you will . . .
A. Briefly introduce topic
B. Clearly state position
C. State reasons
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
The thesis sentence is the most
important sentence of the essay.
Example . . .

I believe smoking should be banned in
all public parks because ____,____,
and ___.
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
Example of introductory paragraph . . .
Tragic, fatal newspaper headlines
announce the consequences of people’s drinking
and driving. Some people learn a valuable
lesson from their first DWI experience.
However, those individuals with second
drinking offenses should be imprisoned because
these drivers are posing life threats to
themselves and others; they are the causes of
extensive property damage, and they are
blatantly disregarding the law. (58 words)
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
The body
paragraph must be
at least 6-8
sentences, or 80
words, Minimum!
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Spring 2001
In the body paragraphs
you will . . .

A. Provide specific examples
1. Tell a very short, illustrative story
2.
State facts or statistics
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
Example of body paragraph . . .
First of all, many fatal accidents involving drinking and
driving are caused by the inability of the drivers to make
sound judgments. This limitation leads to many
potentially dangerous situations. Reactions of these
drivers are slower than normal, and consequently, they
are unable to avoid accidents. Most of these accidents
cause bodily injury to the drivers as well as their
passengers. The most tragic situation occurs when the
person drinking and driving causes the death of some
innocent motorists or pedestrians. Innocent lives are
ended, and still others are left handicapped because of
drinking and driving offenders, many of whom are
repeat offenders. (100)
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
Like the introductory
paragraph, the concluding
paragraph must be 4
sentences , 50 words,
Minimum!
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
Example of conclusion . . .
In conclusion, individuals caught
drinking and driving a second time should
be imprisoned. They have placed
themselves and others in serious danger,
taken the risk of causing extensive
property damage, and shown little respect
for the law. These drivers should suffer the
serious consequences of imprisonment.
They do not deserve any more chances.(46 )
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
Some final pointers . . .
A. The essay is the most important part
of the writing test.
 B. So, write the essay first -- then do
the multiple choice.
 C. After you are done with multiple
choice, go back and revise the essay
one last time.

Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
Things you should not do on the
essay. If you do any of these
things, more than likely you will
not pass.
Argue both for and against
 Never state your position
 Repeat yourself excessively
 Write off topic
 Copy sentences directly from prompt

Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
P.S., Post Script . . .
A.Watch your handwriting!
B.Printing is acceptable
C.No one likes to eat on a messy
table; likewise, no one wants
to read a messy essay. This
could make the difference
between passing and failing.
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
Last words:
No matter what happens,
remain CALM.
If you lose your cool,
you lose everything!
Good Luck!
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001
Assignment
Go to Essay Assignments on main Blackboard
page for this week’s writing assignment. Mr
g
Created by Developmental English Department, STCC
Spring 2001