1. Thomas A. Stewart Literacy Test (OSSLT) Prep Guide 2013
Long Writing: News Report

2. To help you navigate the guide, the TAS Logo is a link to the Table of Contents
Introduction
This guide is intended to be a resource for students, teachers and parents.
It has several sections covering what to expect, how these questions are marked, examples of good and bad answers with explanations for why.
Throughout the guide there are suggestions, tips and hints.
You can jump from section to section or go through the guide in order.
We recommend visiting this guide more than once.

3. How to Write a News Report
Table of Contents
Overview
Sample Question
The 5 W’s
How to Write a News Report
Format
RISC IT
How it’s Marked
Topic Development
Writing Conventions
Sample Answers
Topic Dev
Writing Con
OSSLT -speak
Other Guides

4. OSSLT-speak Decoding the OSSLT:
The OSSLT has its own special terminology. It’s important to know what their terms mean.
Selection: A “selection” is the thing they have you read…it might be part of a book, a story from a magazine, something from a website, but basically it’s the thing you need to base your answers on.
Prompt: The “prompt” is basically the question. For a Series of Paragraphs Expressing an Opinion the “prompt” will be the topic they want you to write about.
Response: Your “response” is your answer; what you write about the “selection” in answer to the “prompt.”
Scoring: “Scoring” is the word they use for marking or grading. Your score on each question is called a Code. So if you get 30 they call it a Code 30.
Conventions: Spelling, grammar, sentence structure and punctuation.

5. Writing: News Report Overview
A News Report is one of the two major (Long) writing tasks you will see on the OSSLT.
It is marked out of 100; 60 for “Topic Development” and 40 for “Writing Conventions.”
This makes it one of the two most important questions in the OSSLT.
Do well on the Long writing tasks; this and the “Series of Paragraphs,” and you’re well on your way to passing the test. Bomb them, or worse, blow them off and your chances of passing aren’t good.
An example of a News Report question and what good and bad answers look like follows. There are a couple of basic things to keep in mind:
1: Follow the proper format.
2: Don’t leave space blank.

6. The Headline and the Photo are equally important.
Task: Write a news report on the next page based on the headline and picture below. • You will have to make up the facts and information to answer some or all of the following questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? • You must relate your newspaper report to both the headline and the picture. Purpose and Audience: to report on an event for the readers of a newspaper Length: The lined space provided for your written work indicates the approximate length of the writing expected.
The Photo puts the story in context. It gives you clues about Who the story should be about and perhaps Why and How.
Newspaper Reports are always based on answering the Questions: Who, What, Where, When, Why and How?
Car wash a success
The question will always be the same as what you read here, but the photo and headline will change.
This is what a News Report question will look like. They give you a photo and a headline.
The Headline and the Photo are equally important.
The Headline tells you what the story should be about.
In this case the answer has to be a story about a Car wash which is a success.

7. Elements of a News Report
Task: Write a news report on the next page based on the headline and picture below. • You will have to make up the facts and information to answer some or all of the following questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? • You must relate your newspaper report to both the headline and the picture. Purpose and Audience: to report on an event for the readers of a newspaper Length: The lined space provided for your written work indicates the approximate length of the writing expected.
Elements of a News Report
The key is to find (create) a logical link between the headline and the photograph that could be used as an event for a report that would appear in a newspaper. You get one (1) lined page (about 25 lines) for write your answer.
A news story has to contain what everyone calls the “5 W’s”…which really means:
Who is the story about?
What happened?
Where did it happen?
Why did it happen and/or Why does it matter?
When did it happen?
And How did it happen?
The trick is to follow the format common to a real news report.
Use the “5w’s.
Car wash a success

8. This is an example of a good News Report Answer:
Who
What
This is an example of a good News Report Answer:
You can see Who,What, When, Where, Why and How all right at the beginning of the report.
When
Where
Why
How

9. How to Write a News Report
A news report must be written in the Third Person.
That means you can’t use “I, me, mine our, we etc” in it.
It’s not “My school won a computing contest last week”
It has to be “A Grade 11 class at Thomas A Stewart Secondary School won the Greater Kawartha Pine Ridge Binary Star Data Classic contest last week.”
If you want to include an opinion, you have to quote someone in the story.
So, it’s not: We were really proud because we put a lot of work into it.
It’s: Students in the class were “very proud” said student Nichea Vass. “We put a lot if work into this, so we’re really glad we won,” Vass said.

10. RISC IT – the more you do, the more the reward.
elate your story to the picture and the headline. indent paragraphs (lots of them). pelling and grammar – matter. Check them. ontains 2 quotations (at least) to support the story. nteresting - it won’t be if you’re not trying to make it so. ell nothing but the facts, leave out your opinion.

11. Writing a News Report Here’s a tip
A news report must also be written in the past tense.
This gets a little tricky because the Headline will always be in the present tense. IE: School Wins Contest.
You still have to write the story in the past tense…about how the school WON the contest.
Remember you always have to write about something that has already happened, not something that is going to happen.
Here’s a tip
News Report questions are often “school” related.
If the headline refers to a school event, trip, contest or issue save yourself time and energy by using TAS as the school. Use your friends’ names and teachers you know to be in the story and quote them to provide detail and “colour” in the report. Quote “Mrs. Annie Johnston” as the principal.

12. Writing: News Report: Scoring:
The News Report is “scored” – marked out of 100.
60 for Topic Development
Topic Development is basically what you write. Is it a proper News Report? Does it relate clearly to the headline and the photograph? Did you put enough specific detail in? Did you quote people to provide support?
40 for Writing Conventions
Writing conventions are basically how you write. Spelling, sentence structure, punctuation and grammar.
The News Report is “scored” – marked out of 100.
60 for Topic Development
40 for Writing Conventions
Topic Development
Writing Conventions

13. Writing: News Report: Scoring: Topic Development
There are three (3) ways to get a zero (0)
Blank
The page is blank with nothing written or drawn in the space provided.
(If you don’t write anything there’s nothing to mark.)

14. Writing: News Report: Scoring
There are three (3) ways to get a zero (0)
Blank
The page is blank with nothing written or drawn in the space provided.
(If you don’t write anything there’s nothing to mark.)
Illegible
The response is illegible or irrelevant to the prompt.
(Your answer is too hard to follow or isn’t a News Report)

15. Writing: News Report: Scoring
There are three (3) ways to get a zero (0)
Blank
The page is blank with nothing written or drawn in the space provided.
(If you don’t write anything there’s nothing to mark.)
Illegible
The response is illegible or irrelevant to the prompt.
(Your answer is too hard to follow or isn’t a News Report)
Off topic
The response is off topic.
(Whatever you wrote didn’t relate to the headline or the picture)
Here are some examples of News Report answers.
We’ll start with the ones that weren’t so good.

16. The story is about a car wash - or one car that got washed - but it’s not a News Report. It’s just a story.
The response is related to the headline and photo but is not a news report. It is a narrative.
So it’s a Code 10,
a Fail. 10 40 20 50 30 60

17. Here’s a Code 20, which is also a fail
Basically what they’ve done is throw Who, What, Where, Why, When and How down like a shopping list without trying to really make sense of them.
They got the first part: The response is a news report related to the headline and photo, but the focus is unclear. There aren’t enough supporting details and there’s very little organization.. 10 20 30 40 50 60
Here’s a Code 20, which is also a fail

18. Here’s a Code 30, which is getting closer to what we want.
The report has a clear focus on an event (car wash foundraiser).
But there aren’t enough supporting details and the few they have are kind of sketchy. (enough money, going to almost every neighbourhood, successful car wash foundraiser).
What’s good is there is some evidence of organization: the two main ideas–enough money and 1.5 million dollar – are linked. 10 20 30 40 50 60

19. This is a Code 40 which is definitely a pass.
This is the minimum you should be shooting for.
There’s enough supporting detail. Some of it is specific (St. John’s elementary school, June 29th 2009, 2000$, 45 kids), which is good.
Some is a little vague (local charity,
What local charity?)
What’s good is: There’s a clear connection to the headline and photo with a clear and consistent focus on an event (carwash). 10 20 30 40 50 60

20. News reports are supposed to have lots of small paragraphs
Notice they use paragraphs to organize their ideas
The quotation here is good. It would be perfect if they game the Principal a name. 10 20 30 40 50 60

21. A very solid job with only a couple of things missing. Even better:
This is a Code 50
A very solid job with only a couple of things missing.
Even better:
there are Quotations from two different people to support the story. The organization is logical with lots of paragraphs. The final paragraph mentions the school’s trip to Ottawa again and provides a neat conclusion.
This news report is clearly related to the headline and photo with a clear and consistent focus on an event (carwash WHAT …trip to Ottawa WHY). There are enough specific supporting details (Saturday, May 5 WHEN, Highview Public School WHO, Ottawa, 8 am to 4 pm, student name). 1 2 10 20 30 40 50 60

22. It’s the best score you can get.
This is a Code 60
It’s the best score you can get.
This report is clearly related to the headline and photo with a clear and consistent focus on an event.
It’s got WHO, WHAT , WHERE, WHY and WHEN right up front. Then lots of detail on HOW backed up with quotations from different people involved.
Real Newspaper stories usually have both of these elements. It’s never a bad idea to include them.
Extra! Extra!
They threw in a sub-head
(a second smaller headline that gives more detail)
and a cutline
(a caption that explains what’s in the photo). 10 20 30 40 50 60

23. This is good for a lot of reasons. 1 2
This is good for a lot of reasons.
It has lots of specific details (e.g., names of the city, students, a parent; Haiti, Canadian Red Cross, drivers couldn’t resist a good car cleaning, not only helped people in their community, but people hundreds of kilometres away). AND Quotations from two perspectives. The Organization easy to follow. The opening lead connects effectively to the closing sentence. 10 20 30 40 50 60 10 20 30 40 50 60

24. Scoring Guide for Long Writing Conventions
This is the second way answers are marked (scored)
Writing Conventions
Code
Descriptor
Code 10
There is insufficient evidence to assess the use of conventions. OR
Errors in conventions interfere with communication. OR
You get a Code 10 – a Fail – if:
“Errors in conventions interfere with communication.”
Which means:
There are so many mistakes they can’t figure out what you’re trying to say.
You get a Code 10 – a Fail – if:
“There is insufficient evidence to assess the use of conventions.”
Which means:
You left it blank (didn’t answer the question) or you didn’t write enough.
Writing Conventions? OMG, WT…H are “Writing Conventions”?
Chill. Basically they’re talking about spelling, grammar, sentence structure and things like that. 10 20 30 40

25. Here’s an example of a Code 10
lack of punctuation at the end of sentences, incorrect use of capital letters The children They washing; omitted words: To be cleen and success).
Errors in conventions interfere with communication (e.g., spelling: vearis, braek, lik, there, cleen, besid, grach, saide, movie’s, dird, smils, mitearials, vires;
Here’s an example of a Code 10
It’s not just a fail, it’s an epic fail!
It’s a fail because there are just too many mistakes 10 20 30 40

26. Scoring Guide for Long Writing Conventions Section IV News Report Question 1
Code
Descriptor
Code 10
There is insufficient evidence to assess the use of conventions. OR
Errors in conventions interfere with communication.
Code 20
Errors in conventions distract from communication.
“Errors in conventions distract from communication.” means:
You’ve made so many mistakes (spelling, grammar) that it’s hard to follow what you’re trying to say.
Basically, you’re making them work too hard to try to understand your News Story.
A Code 20 isn’t a pass either, although it’s better than a 10 as every mark counts in the end. 10 20 30 40

27. The hits just keep on coming:
It’s a Code 20 because there are so many mistakes you have to work too hard to stay with the story.
This is a Code 20 ?
The hits just keep on coming:
There are words missing: all you guys helped you guys; this for a good cause;
A lot of spelling mistakes: coffe, ther, lookin, wher, fun raiser;
And missing capitals: metro, april).
The first problem is a lack of punctuation at the end of sentences and no capital letters. That makes it read like one big sentence, which is really hard to follow). V 10 20 30 40

28. Scoring Guide for Long Writing Conventions Section IV News Report Question 1
Code
Descriptor
Code 10
There is insufficient evidence to assess the use of conventions. OR
Errors in conventions interfere with communication.
Code 20
Errors in conventions distract from communication.
Code 30
Errors in conventions do not distract from communication.
You’re allowed to make some mistakes and still pass as long as those mistaks don’t get in the way of following your story.
You’re allowed to make some mistakes and still pass as long as those mistakes don’t get in the way of following your story.
You’re allowed to make some mistakes and still pass as long as those mistaks don’t get in the way of following your story.
Code 30 is the minimum you want to get. It’s a pass. 10 20 30 40

29. This is the minimum level you want.
This is a Code 30
This is the minimum level you want.
A Code 30 is different from a Code 20 in that while there are mistakes, they don’t get in the way of understanding the story
So, there are a few spelling mistakes : reasearch, planing
Some capitals missing: road, local, rexdale;
There are some punctuation mistakes: missing commas in the date and the quotations. 10 20 30 40

30. Scoring Guide for Long Writing Conventions Section IV News Report Question 1
You get a Code 40 when your story follows the News Report format without any significant mistakes and shows you understand the format.
Basically that You own it.
Code
Descriptor
Code 10
There is insufficient evidence to assess the use of conventions. OR
Errors in conventions interfere with communication.
Code 20
Errors in conventions distract from communication.
Code 30
Errors in conventions do not distract from communication.
Code 40
Control of conventions is evident in written work.
Words. I am your Master. 10 20 30 40

31. This is the best score you can get.
What makes this a Code 40 is the obvious control the writer has over spelling, grammar and punctuation
This is a Code 40
This is the best score you can get.
So the fact they spelled comittee, and it’s wrong and didn’t put the periods or commas inside the quotations marks doesn’t cost them any marks. 10 20 30 40

32. Thomas A Stewart OSSLT Guide
TAS OSSLT Guides:
How the test is marked and why this matters
Reading Questions: Open Response
Reading Questions: Multiple Choice
Writing Questions: Series of Paragraphs
Writing Questions: Open Response Short Writing
Writing Questions: News Report
How to prepare for the OSSLT
Overview of the OSSLT