The California Writing Exam Grades 4 and 7 Exam Description with Guidelines for Preparation and Success

What is the CA writing exam? The California Writing Standards Exam is administered each year to all Grade 4 and Grade 7 students. Students will read a writing prompt, possibly a passage, and then write their essays.

What is a writing prompt? A prompt is a topic the writer is asked to write about. In other words, someone else tells the writer what to write about.

Types of Possible Exam Prompts: Grade 4: There are 3 different essay prompt types possible for the Grade 4 Writing Exam. Students will write to one of the following prompt types: Response to Literature Summary Narrative

Grade 7: There are 5 different essay prompt types possible for the Grade 7 Writing Exam. Students will write to one of the following prompt types: Response to Literature Summary Fictional Narrative Autobiographical Narrative Persuasive

Grade 4 Response to Literature prompt asks students to: Read a short story and then write an essay showing their understanding of the story (allows students to reread the story and to mark the story or make notes—marks and notes will not be scored). Support their ideas by referring to the story and to what they already know (relate things in the story to their own prior knowledge). Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

Grade 4 Summary prompt asks students to: Read a short informative article and then write a summary of what they have read (allows students to go back to reread the article at any time and to mark the article or make notes—marks and notes will not be scored). State the main ideas of the article. Identify the most important details that support the main ideas. Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

Grade 4 Narrative prompt asks students to: Tell a story about an event or an experience (The prompt will suggest whether the story has to be real or made up; look for clues in the wording of the prompt.). Organize the story to have a beginning, middle, and an end. Use details to help the reader imagine the event or the experience. Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

Grade 7 Response to Literature prompt asks students to: Read a short story and then write an essay showing their understanding of the story (allows students to reread the story and to mark the story or make notes—marks and notes will not be scored). Show their understanding of author’s message and their insights into the characters and ideas presented in the story. Organize their essay around several clear ideas and/or images from the story. Justify their interpretation by giving examples and citing evidence from the text. Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

Grade 7 Summary prompt asks students to: Read a short informative article and then write a summary of what they have read (allows students to go back to reread the article at any time and to mark the article or make notes—marks and notes will not be scored). State the main ideas of the article. Identify the most important details that support the main ideas. Write the summary in their own words except for quotations. Express the underlying meaning of the article not just superficial details. Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

Grade 7 Fictional Narrative prompt asks students to: Write a fictional story Develop a plot with a beginning, middle and end. Develop a setting and characters. Use appropriate strategies such as action, descriptive detail, and perhaps, dialogue to make their story interesting. Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

Grade 7 Autobiographical Narrative Essay (separate guidelines for this type of essay not yet available) Students would probably be asked to: Write an autobiographical incident essay about a memorable event. Use first-person point of view. Develop the essay with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Describe events in chronological order. Develop a setting and characters. Use appropriate strategies such as action and descriptive detail. Use language that shows dialogue. Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

Grade 7 Persuasive prompt asks students to: Write a persuasive essay or letter. State their position on the topic. Describe the points in support of their position including examples and other evidence. Anticipate the reader’s concerns and arguments against their position. Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

Elements of a good NARRATIVE essay: Clearly addresses all parts of the writing task Tells a complete story Is written in the order in which the events happened Has a beginning, a middle & an end Includes vivid descriptive language and sensory details enabling the reader to visualize the events Establishes a clear point of view Includes a variety of sentence types Contains correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

Elements of a good SUMMARY Essay: Clearly addresses all parts of the writing task States main ideas & important details in student’s own words Uses only the information provided in the article; does not include writer’s own extraneous opinion or commentary Is often a comparison/contrast type essay Is well organized so the reader can easily follow the comparisons and contrasts Includes a variety of sentence types Contains correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization

Elements of a good RESPONSE TO LITERATURE Essay: Clearly addresses all parts of the writing task Shows student’s understanding of the literary work Shows student’s understanding of the author’s purpose in the literary work Student’s ideas are supported by specific references to the text and his/her own prior knowledge. Includes a variety of sentence types Contains correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization

Elements of a good PERSUASIVE Essay: Clearly addresses all parts of the writing task Clearly states student’s position or perspective on the topic Position or perspective is supported with well-articulated evidence and examples Convincingly anticipates and addresses the reader’s concerns, biases, and arguments against their position Includes a variety of sentence types Contains correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization

Tips for success in writing to a prompt: Four Key Steps: Prewriting: Organizing Your Thoughts Free Writing: Quick First Draft Proofreading: Checking it Over Final Essay: The Polished Piece

Prewriting: Organizing Your Thoughts Read the directions carefully. Ask: “What kind of essay are the directions telling me to write?” (Narrative, Summary, Response to Literature, or Persuasive?) Read the prompt several times. Ask: “What is the prompt asking me to write about?” Take a few moments to think about your ideas. Read the directions again.

Free Writing: Quick First Draft Don’t worry about spelling, grammar, or neatness yet, just get your ideas down on paper. You’ll proofread later. On scratch paper, jot down the main ideas or main points you want to cover, leaving room to add details later (you can use an outline, circle web, or whatever method will help you to quickly organize your ideas on paper). These main ideas will become topic sentences at the beginning of each paragraph. Add details that support each main idea. Try numbering the order of the main ideas; do the same with each detail to help organize the sequence before you write. Read the directions and the prompt again to check that you’ve covered everything you’re supposed to write about. Write a beginning paragraph to introduce your essay. Start with a sentence that will grab the reader’s attention. The other sentences in this beginning paragraph should tell what you’ll be writing about. Write an ending paragraph to wrap up your thoughts and conclude your essay.

Proofreading: Checking it Over Take a good look at your draft. Does it have a beginning paragraph, 2 or 3 paragraphs in the body of the essay, and a concluding paragraph? Does your beginning paragraph catch the reader’s interest and tell what you will be writing about? Does the body of the essay contain 2 or 3 paragraphs with sentences that support the details of each main idea (topic sentence)? Are there places where you could add more detail or colorful words? Does your last paragraph wrap up what you want to say? Proofread & correct your essay for spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors. Make sure each sentence is a complete sentence. Read the directions and the prompt one more time to check that you’ve covered everything in your essay.

Final Essay: The Polished Piece Write your final draft. Make sure it is written neatly so it is easy for someone else to read. Indent the first sentence of each paragraph as you write. This is hard to change later if your writing begins close to the left edge of the page. Proofread for errors one more time before turning in your essay. Congratulations! You’ve done a great job!