The GWT Scoring Guide

Note: Each essay is read by two readers and the scores are totaled. The score of the first reader is hidden from the second. The highest possible score is “12” and the lowest is “2." A “7” is a passing score, which means that one reader gave the paper a “3” and the other gave it a “4.” If scores differ by more than one point, a third reader will read the essay and make a decision.

Score

6— A superior response will address itself to all aspects of the question. Though it may have occasional faults, it will be well organized, detailed, and generally well written.

5 or 4— These scores will be useful for a well-handled paper that is weak in some aspects of the superior response; e.g. it may slight one of the parts of the question; it may not be as clearly organized as the superior response; it may have some minor grammatical inconsistencies. Otherwise, the paper should be competently written.

3— This score will be useful for the following kinds of papers:

— those that are only descriptive or narrative

— those in which the language is overly cliched

— those that are overly repetitious

— those that are general and superficial

This score will also be useful for papers that are developed with some specificity and detail but are marred by more than a few grammatical inconsistencies.

2— This score is to be used for papers that exhibit serious weaknesses in structure, syntax, diction and/or development.

1— This score is to be used for papers that show very little understanding of the question or suggest incompetence in structure, syntax, and diction.

More about the "4"

Note: Because the goal of many students is to move from the “3” score to the “4,” we are also providing a more specific definition of a “4.” This is not part of the official scoring guide, but it is typical of similar scoring guides.

The "4" essay demonstrates adequate college-level writing ability. It may be undistinguished in content, development, or style, but language weaknesses do not significantly limit the writer's ability to develop and communicate ideas. An essay in this category

—may respond somewhat routinely or simplistically to the topic, but it satisfies all the terms of the assignment at least minimally or implicitly.

—has a recognizable main idea and an apparent organization.

—uses some specific details or examples to develop and clarify ideas.

—demonstrates basic competence in diction, phrasing, and sentence structure, although there may be some imprecision, clumsiness, and/or repetitiveness.

—may have some errors in mechanics, grammar, and usage, but these will not be frequent or serious enough to confuse or significantly distract the reader.

The last bullet is very important. A "4" essay may have some errors, but if the errors confuse the reader, so that the reader has to figure out what the writer is trying to say, or if errors are so numerous that the reader is distracted by them, the essay will get a "3" or lower.