GHSGT Writing Test

All about the GHSGT Writing Test

The Writing component of the GHSGT test, or more appropriately the GHSWT, is an examination of English language writing skills. This mandatory high school examination is taken along with the GHSGT test, by high school students, for earning the Georgia high school diploma.

When Can the Writing Test be taken?

The GHSWT can be taken by 11th grade students of Georgia. These students can appear for this examination, after registering for this test, on the official website (http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Assessment/Pages/Georgia-High-School-Writing-Test.aspx). However, a pre-registration process is required for those who are not currently enrolled in the school in which they want to take the test.

The exam is taken in the months of February, July and September each year, the “Fall” season being the main season for administration of this test. As this test is administered 3 times a year, students get more than one opportunity to take this test, in case they are unsuccessful in it, in the first attempt.

Students keen on taking the Writing exam should contact the GHSWT test administration authorities (http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Assessment/Pages/Georgia-High-School-Writing-Test.aspx), for further information regarding the dates on which they can take the test.

GHSWT Test Description

The test requires the examinees to write an essay of not more than two standard pages on the topic that is given to them. The given topic is mostly based on an argument, and it requires the examinees to assume a stance and write a persuasive essay that aims at convincing the reader in accepting the author’s point of view about the given topic.

GHSWT Time Duration

The Writing exam lasts for 2 hours, in which a student is allowed 100 minutes of writing time.

GHSWT Scoring System

The scoring system for this section is a complicated process; however, the assessment of this examination should be completed by the evaluators within a single day.

The essay is scored as per an analytic system, which means that it is evaluated on more than one assessment criterion, which is called a domain. Each of these domains is made of components, which are features of writing within those domains. The domains of the test are as follows:

  • Ideas
  • Organization
  • Style
  • Conventions

Each of these domains is given a “weightage” in an essay, depending upon the degree of its presence in it. The weightage, in the context of this essay, is the score that is given to a particular domain, depending upon its contribution to the essay. Thus, the different domains are given different scores, in different essays, depending upon their contribution to the essay.

The scores are based on a range of 1-5 in a particular domain. The scaled scores on these domains range from 10 to 50. The total scores are calculated by summing up the individual scaled scores.

Rater Information

The written paper of each candidate is evaluated by two raters, who are experts and who are knowledgeable of the standardized system of rating. They assess the students’ strengths and weaknesses within the test domains.

Elements of the GHSWT Score Report

The score report of this test consists of the following elements:

  1. Score Label- The score label is a record of the student’s Pass/Fail status in the test, the scaled score obtained by the student, the percentile rank, and domain-wise performance information.
  2. Student Report- The student report contains the scores attained by the student. A couple of copies of this report are made, of which one is sent to the teachers of that student, while another is sent to the student and his/her parents.
  3. Student Achievement Roster- This is a list of all the students who have appeared for the this exam. This roster also contains the total writing scores and the student performance level. Two copies of this roster are made, one for the student and the other for the teacher. Remediation/Retest Rosters are also issued for reference to those students who were unsuccessful in the writing test.
  4. School Report- This report details the performance of students belonging to a particular school.
  5. System Report- This report provides a summary of the performance of all the students of a particular school, and it is somewhat like the School Report.

Conclusion

The Writing test, though consisting of a single question, is tough to pass, as it is evaluated by a couple of expert raters, on multiple dimensions, and the scoring system for this examination is also complex. One needs to have exceptionally good English language writing skills in order to perform well in this examination, and for this, one needs to practice well. One can attend classes at designated coaching centers for preparation or refer to individual preparation guides.