Excel Test Zone. Get the Results You Want! SAMPLE TEST WRITING

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1 Excel Test Zone Get the Results You Want! NAPLAN*-style YEAR 7 SAMPLE TEST WRITING It was announced in 2013 that the type of text for the 2014 NAPLAN Writing Test will be either persuasive OR narrative. We have included both types of text in this test to help you with your preparation. FIRST NAME LAST NAME CLASS 0 :40 Time available for students to complete the Writing Test: 40 minutes Use 2B or HB pencil only. * This is not an officially endorsed publication of the NAPLAN program and is produced by Pascal Press independently of Australian governments

2 Today you are going to write a persuasive text, often called an exposition. Your school wants to introduce the rule that all students must wear a school uniform. What do you think about this idea? School uniform or not? Write a persuasive speech to your fellow students in order to convince them of your opinions. Before you start writing, give some thought to: whether you strongly agree or disagree with school uniforms the way you will present your ideas clearly list or order your points the reasons or evidence for your arguments your brief but definite conclusion. In your conclusion list some of your main points. You may add a personal opinion. Don t forget to: plan your exposition before you begin writing write in correctly formed sentences and take particular care with paragraphing choose your words carefully and pay attention to your spelling and punctuation write neatly but don t waste time quickly check your writing once you have finished. Your position must be clear to your reader. Remember: the stance taken in a persuasive text is not wrong, as long as the writer has evidence to support his or her opinion. How the opinion is supported is as important as the opinion itself. 2

3 Today you are going to write a narrative. Your narrative will be about water. Look at the picture to give you some ideas. Your narrative could be about some water that you swim in or just look at. What sort of water is it? Don t just think of the beach. Perhaps you are doing something in the water, like fishing or on a boat. Add some brief description of the water. Your narrative may be serious or humorous. Your writing will be judged on quality of expression and the structure of your narrative. Before you start writing, give some thought to: where your narrative takes place (the setting) the characters and what they do in the narrative the events that take place in the narrative and the problems that have to be resolved how your narrative begins, what happens in your narrative, and how your narrative ends. Don t forget to: plan your narrative before you start write in correctly formed sentences and take care with paragraphing choose your words carefully and pay attention to your spelling and punctuation write neatly but don t waste time quickly check your narrative once you have finished. 3

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7 Advanced level sample persuasive writing Structure Language and ideas Audience The writer s purpose is clearly stated. This acts to position, engage and convince the reader. Text structure The information is presented in a suitable and effective text structure. The text contains a clear introduction, main body with development of ideas, and conclusion. Paragraphing The organisation of information into clear paragraphs helps the reader follow the line of argument. Cohesion The writing s meaning is clear and it flows well in a consistent piece of writing. This is achieved through words that link ideas. Persuasive techniques The use of persuasive techniques such as emotive language, repetition, hyperbole and rhetorical questions add power to the writer s argument and influence the audience. Fellow students School uniform or not? Today dawns a wretched and tragic day for all students. For today marks the day our school will attempt to introduce that most vile and restrictive of garments onto our persons the School Uniform! I m here today to encourage all of us to band together, take action, and ensure that the school uniform never rears its foul head to impinge upon our freedom to dress with independence and choice. The school has tried to persuade us that wearing a school uniform will make us more equal and make daily dressing easier. They have even suggested that wearing a uniform will reduce bullying within the school. I find these suggestions insulting to our intelligence. The school often encourages us to grow up and behave like adults and yet here they are treating us like children all over again. So I ask you who do you want to be treated as? A child or an adult? The school system limits our choices in so many ways they tell us what to do, where to go, what to study, what to say and now they want to tell us what to wear. I believe we are modern students in a modern age and that we should be given the choice. I believe that enforcing a school uniform upon us is a step backwards in our development and that the school will eventually regret their decision! So I encourage you, fellow students, to take action! Don t sit idly by while important decisions such as this are being made around us! Sign the petition and write to the school so that we can show that we are a force to be reckoned with! Thank you for listening. Vocabulary A variety of verbs are used to persuade. Pronoun choices are inclusive and persuasive. A range of effective words and phrases enhances the tone of the speech. Sentence structure Sentences are varied in length and structure, which creates pace and atmosphere. Sentence types are varied and include complex clauses. Ideas Clear ideas relating to a central event, the school uniform, are crafted to create the effect of a well-structured and persuasive speech. Punctuation Correct and appropriate punctuation aids in the effectiveness of the text. Spelling The text contains no errors and includes use of both difficult (e.g. restrictive, reckoned) and challenging vocabulary (e.g. wretched). Please note that this sample has not been written under test conditions. However, it gives you a standard to aim for. This writing sample has been analysed based on the marking criteria used by markers to assess the NAPLAN Writing Test. 7 Log in to

8 Audience The use of description and some tension engages the reader and a well-controlled setting and situation support the dramatic events. Character and setting Time and place are established early in the text. The reader is encouraged to sympathise with the main character, through the personal pronoun I and through access to the character s inner thoughts and feelings. Text structure The information is presented chronologically, allowing for a surprising resolution. Paragraphing Paragraph use is appropriate and each begins with a new event or location within the narrative. They are visible and help the reader negotiate the events of the story. Cohesion Word associations and connectives are used to tie events of the story together. The ending is swift but satisfying, as the complication is resolved. Advanced level sample narrative writing Structure Language and ideas Ocean swim During the sear of summer, I loved to dive off the rocks and cut through the deep, clear, iridescent water, making as small a splash as I could. Below the sea line, the world above was silent and distorted, the local buildings looming and bending like the wonky mirrors at Luna Park. I particularly enjoyed the way my hair floated under water fine, weightless, soft yet soon to be a burden, plastered over my eyes as I emerged, with me no longer the sylph-like beauty of my underwater imaginings. I turned to grin at the mermaid statue that rested on the rocks edge. Her gaze, as always, was indecipherable, impenetrable and unyielding. That day s swim was unremarkable from any other perhaps the water a little cleaner, the salt searing my eyes with its usual intensity. Under water, however, I saw a flash out of the corner of my eye that I was too slow to catch, my head whipping with exaggerated slowness in my eagerness. My eyes searched, chest beginning to swell and hurt now; I held on for as long as I could before bursting, projectile-like, to the surface. The mermaid was gone. It was impossible, I knew; however, my eyes confirmed the fact as I searched the shoreline. There were no men carrying her off for repairs. No children to push her in. In fact, there were remarkably few people, with only one lone dog walker in the distance. I was stumped. I trod water for a few minutes, thinking of the possibilities, trying to decide what to do when something soft brushed my leg. I jumped, eyes bulging, scanning the water for seaweed, a plastic bag, anything but was rewarded with a playful flash of a tail of something large swimming away. I got out of the water then, heart yammering, a southerly breeze making me shiver. The tinkle of a child laughing jolted me out of my reverie and I crammed my feet into my thongs, the sun and the people making my fear ebb away, like the tide. I blinked and somehow, inexplicably, the mermaid was back, her stony gaze just as unreadable. Spending too much time in the sun, I warned myself, trudging home forgetfully. Please note that this sample has not been written under test conditions. However, it gives you a standard to aim for. This writing sample has been analysed based on the marking criteria used by markers to assess the NAPLAN Writing Test. Vocabulary A variety of verbs, adverbs and adjectives are used to create interest in the story. Precise word choices are made. A range of effective words and phrases, seen in similes, enhance the tone and mood of the story. Sentence structure Sentences are varied in length and structure, which creates pace and atmosphere. Sentence types are varied and include more complex clauses. Ideas Clear ideas relating to a central event, the ocean swim, are crafted to create the effect of some tension and, ultimately, surprise. Punctuation No errors in punctuation occur. All direct speech is correctly punctuated. Apostrophes and question marks are used correctly. Spelling There are no spelling errors and both difficult (e.g. intensity, remarkably) and challenging vocabulary (e.g. indecipherable, impenetrable and unyielding) is included. Log in to 8