LAST writing assessment requires candidates to critically
explore an issue, either by offering up their analysis of
a general topic or theme or by providing their study of two
positions on a given topic. Though the topic will change
and the format will shift following each test administration,
the core knowledge and abilities that the examiners evaluate
generally remain the same and these things are always implicit
in the wording of the the prompt.
A typical prompt
will ask the candidate to summarize, evaluate, and respond
to a topic or a set of short readings on a topic. The
key words here are:
-- Paraphrase the sides or the dominant perspectives on
the given issue. For readings based writing assessments,
paraphrase the arguments of each.
the logical reasoning or assess the strengths and weaknesses
of each side.
a resolution to bring together the competing positions on
the topic, or offer a reasoned position on the topic.
The biggest aspect
to remember is that the prompt, the specific directions for
writing the essay, often appears at the bottom of the page
or in the last sentence of the discussion of the assignment.
The assessment likely will not just solicit your opinion on
a given issue; in other words, a successful essay will acknowledge
the complexity or "gray area" of any issue and will
avoid polemical responses, essays in which the candidate "goes
off" or rants and raves.