Study Guide

Field 093: Target Language Proficiency—Swahili 
Writing Proficiency

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Directions for Writing Proficiency Assignment

This section consists of one writing assignment to be completed in the target language. The assignment appears on the following screen. Read the assignment carefully and think about how you will organize your response before you begin writing.

You may use the erasable notebooklet to make notes, write an outline, or otherwise prepare your response. However, your final response must be written on the response sheets and scanned using the scanner provided. Please label your three response sheets with "Writing Assignment." All response sheets must be scanned using the scanner provided at your workstation.

Instructions for scanning your response sheet(s) are available by clicking the "Scanning Help" button at the top of the screen.

Your response will not be scored based upon any position you take on a given issue. Your response will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria.

Be sure to write about the assigned topic and use multiple paragraphs. Please write legibly when using response sheets. You may not use any reference materials. Your response must be your original work, written in your own words, and not copied or paraphrased from some other work. Remember to review what you have written to ensure that you address all aspects of the assignment and make any changes you think will improve your response.

A response will be considered unscorable if it is unrelated to the assigned topic, not written in the required language, not of sufficient length to score, or merely a repetition of the assignment.

Any time spent responding to this assignment, including scanning the response sheets, is part of your testing time. Monitor your time carefully. When your testing time expires, a pop-up message will appear on-screen indicating the conclusion of your test session. Only response sheets that are scanned before you end your test or before time has expired will be scored. Any response sheet that is not scanned before testing ends will NOT be scored.

Select the Next button to continue.

Sample Writing Proficiency Assignment

Objective 0004
Write a well-organized passage in the target language that is grammatically correct and appropriate in vocabulary and style for a given audience, purpose, and occasion and that communicates a message effectively.

[The examinee will see the following on-screen:]

Educators continue to debate whether arts education (music, dance, theatre, visual arts) should be a required part of the public school curriculum. Supporters of mandatory arts education argue that the arts provide an opportunity for the expression of student individuality, help young people to think more creatively, and provide for multiple learning styles. Opponents of mandatory arts education contend that public schools have limited time and resources to make sure students are adequately prepared in core academic subjects and that mandatory arts education is therefore a luxury that most schools simply cannot afford.

Write a response in the target language for an audience of adults, discussing whether you think arts education should be a mandatory part of the public school curriculum. In preparing your response you may draw upon your own personal experiences.

Sample Response for the Writing Proficiency Assignment

The sample below is an example of a strong response to the Writing Proficiency assignment. Please note that although this sample response is presented in English, examinee responses to the Writing Proficiency assignment must be written in the target language.

Arts education plays an important role in student development and should be a required part of the curriculum in all public schools. One way in which arts education promotes student growth is by providing outlets for the expression of individuality. It is particularly important that young people have such outlets because they live in a social and educational world where there is tremendous pressure to conform. By giving students an opportunity to achieve a balance between individuality and conformity, arts education helps prepare them for an unknown future in which they will often face unfamiliar problems that require imaginative responses.

A second way in which arts education contributes to student growth is by helping young people to develop their communication skills. Whether the art form be dance, music, painting, or sculpture, its purpose is to convey meaning to others. Being able to do this well requires creativity, concentration, and strong powers of expression, as well as some measure of artistic talent. Even if students do not achieve desired outcomes in this regard, merely having tried will make them more effective communicators.

Arts education also provides an excellent means of introducing students to diverse cultures. Given the increasing interdependence of the modern world, the value of such multicultural knowledge is greater today than it has ever been. Here it is important to note that the arts do not exist in isolation. They are often closely associated with the beliefs, traditions, history, religion, geography, and other elements of a particular culture. This means that young people who want to develop a real understanding of the role of dance, music, or painting in another culture must also learn something about the social context in which these art forms developed.

Arts education has much to offer all young people. Any subject that is capable of helping students express their individuality, improve their communication skills, and broaden their appreciation of other cultures cannot be considered a luxury. It deserves a place in the school curriculum alongside the traditional core academic subjects.


Performance Characteristics for Writing Proficiency Assignment

The following characteristics guide the scoring of responses to the Writing Proficiency assignment.

Purpose the fulfillment of the objective of the assignment in reference to the intended audience, purpose, and occasion
Organization the organization, development, and support of ideas
Vocabulary the selected vocabulary and idiomatic expressions
Grammar the constructed grammatical forms, character formations, and syntactic constructions, including spelling, diacritical marks, and punctuation

Score Scale for Writing Proficiency Assignment

A score will be assigned to the response to the Writing Proficiency assignment according to the following score scale.

Score Point Score Point Description
4 The "4" response reflects a thorough application and a strong command of the performance characteristics for the written assignment.
  • The response thoroughly achieves the objective of the assignment and is completely appropriate for the intended audience, purpose, and occasion.
  • The ideas are clearly expressed in a unified discussion, and the supporting details are relevant and fully develop the stated ideas.
  • The vocabulary reflects a broad command of the language and appropriate use of idiomatic expressions.
  • The response shows a comprehensive command of grammar and syntax and mastery of spelling, diacritical marks, and punctuation, with few, if any, errors.
3 The "3" response reflects an adequate application and a satisfactory command of the performance characteristics for the written assignment.
  • The response adequately achieves the objective of the assignment and is generally appropriate for the intended audience, purpose, and occasion.
  • The expressed ideas are generally clear and adequately organized, and the supporting details adequately develop some of the stated ideas.
  • The vocabulary and idiomatic expressions reflect an adequate command of the language for communicating a complete message.
  • The response shows an adequate command of grammar and syntax and contains minor errors in spelling, diacritical marks, and punctuation that do not interfere with communication.
2 The "2" response reflects a partial application and a limited command of the performance characteristics for the written assignment.
  • The response partially achieves the objective of the assignment and may not be entirely appropriate for the intended audience, purpose, and occasion.
  • The expressed ideas are somewhat unclear, partially organized, and developed in a limited way with minimal relevant support.
  • The vocabulary is simple and lacks key words and expressions but is sufficient for communicating a partial message.
  • The response shows a limited command of grammar and syntax and contains frequent errors in spelling, diacritical marks, and punctuation that partially impede communication of ideas.
1 The "1" response reflects an inadequate application and a lack of command of the performance characteristics for the written assignment.
  • The response fails to achieve the objective of the assignment and may be inappropriate for the intended audience, purpose, and occasion.
  • The expressed ideas are unclear, disjointed, and inadequately developed and may lack relevant supporting details.
  • The vocabulary is not adequate for communicating a complete message and contains word usage errors that impede communication.
  • The response shows little command of basic elements of grammar or syntax and contains errors in spelling, diacritical marks, and punctuation so numerous that they impede communication.
U The response is unscorable because it is unrelated to the assigned topic, illegible, not written in the required language, not of sufficient length to score, or merely a repetition of the assignment.
B There is no response to the assignment.