CliffsNotes CBEST - BTPS TESTING Ph.D., Jerry Bobrow Ph.D. & 8 more 2021
Charting and evaluating your essays
The writing section
Use the following CBEST Essay Scoring Criteria Checklist to evaluate your practice essays and identify your strengths and areas that need improvement.
Complete the process of evaluating each essay by answering each of the seven questions in the checklist that follows. Circle the answer that best describes your essay. Look for trends in the areas that need improvement and look for repeated low scores in specific areas. For example, if you consistently score low (Score 1 or 2) in Question 3, “Are the ideas supported in the body of the essay with specific details, examples, or reasons,” you will need to remind yourself to provide supporting examples in future essays. This re-examination and evaluation is a tremendous advantage in maximizing your best possible score.
CBEST Essay Scoring Criteria Checklist
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Column A |
Column B |
Column C |
Column D |
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|
QUESTION |
SCORE 4 |
SCORE 3 |
SCORE 2 |
SCORE 1 |
|
1 |
Does the essay present a clear central idea or point of view? |
Clearly presents |
Adequately presents |
Poorly presents |
Fails to present |
2 |
Does the essay stay focused on the main topic throughout the response? |
Well focused |
Generally a clear focus |
Repeatedly loses focus |
No focus |
3 |
Are the ideas supported in the body of the essay with specific details, examples, or reasons? |
Well supported with specific examples |
Adequately supported with some examples |
Partially supported, but lacks details |
Unsupported, no details |
4 |
Are the ideas logically organized? |
Logically arranged |
Generally organized |
Some order evident |
Disorganized |
5 |
Did the essay use precise word choices? |
Precise and accurate choice of words |
Adequate choice of words |
Generally imprecise choice of words |
Poor choice of words |
6 |
Are the language and style appropriate for the given audience? |
Appropriate language and style |
Fairly appropriate language and style |
Ineffective language and style |
Inappropriate language and style |
7 |
Is the essay free from grammatical and mechanical errors? |
Only a few minor errors |
Some errors, but not serious |
Distracting errors |
Numerous and distracting errors |