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Writing Competencies Tested on the VCLA
The VCLA Writing subtest consists of a 41 item multiple-choice test, three short-answer writing summary assignments, and a writing composition assignment. The skills addressed in this subtest require demonstration of the ability to write effectively at the college level.
An outline showing the objectives and descriptive statements is shown below. Each part includes one or more objectives and is expanded upon by descriptive statements. Descriptive statements provide examples of the range, type, and level of content that may appear on the test for questions measuring the objective.
0006 Understand the influence of purpose and audience in written communication.
- Identify written material consistent with a specific purpose or audience (e.g., a business letter, a speech to a skeptical audience).
- Adapt writing (e.g., in terms of sentence structure or vocabulary) for different purposes or audiences.
0007 Apply principles of unity, focus, and development in writing.
- Recognize examples of well-developed writing.
- Make revisions that improve the unity and focus of a paragraph or passage.
- Identify information, statements, or details presented in a paragraph or passage that are off topic.
- Select supporting material consistent with the argument or main idea of a paragraph or passage.
0008 Apply principles of organization in writing.
- Recognize effective organization in a written passage.
- Reorganize sentences or paragraphs to achieve an effective sequence of ideas.
- Identify appropriate transitional words or phrases (e.g., "however," "as a result," "moreover") to help readers understand the organization of ideas.
0009 Apply principles of sentence and paragraph construction in writing.
- Recognize effective topic sentences.
- Recognize wordiness and redundancy in sentences and paragraphs.
- Identify sentence fragments and run-on sentences.
0010 Apply correct usage in Standard English.
- Recognize the standard use of verbs (e.g., subject-verb agreement, verb tense).
- Recognize the standard use of pronouns (e.g., pronoun-antecedent agreement; the use of possessive pronouns; the use of the relative pronouns who, whom, whose, which, and that; and the use of the demonstrative pronouns this, that, these, and those).
- Recognize the standard use of modifiers (e.g., adverbs, adjectives, comparatives, superlatives).
- Recognize the correct use of commonly misused words (e.g., their/there/they're, to/too).
0011 Apply knowledge of mechanical conventions in Standard English.
- Identify and correct examples in which incorrect or extraneous punctuation has been used (e.g., commas, periods, exclamation points, apostrophes, quotation marks, semicolons joining clauses, colons to begin a list) or necessary punctuation has been omitted.
- Apply standards for capitalization.
- Identify misspelled words in a sentence or passage.
0012 Improve ineffective writing by analyzing and revising sentences containing problems related to grammar and usage, construction, and mechanics.
- Revise sentences to correct problems relating to grammar and usage (e.g., syntax, pronoun-antecedent agreement, subject-verb agreement, misplaced modifiers).
- Revise sentences to correct problems relating to sentence construction (e.g., sentence fragments, run-on sentences).
- Revise sentences to correct problems relating to mechanics (e.g., spelling, punctuation, capitalization).
0013 Produce a written summary of a given informational or persuasive passage.
- Organize information into an effective summary of the main ideas of an informational passage, capturing the author's perspective and point of view.
- Organize information into an effective summary of the key arguments and supporting details of a persuasive passage, capturing the author's perspective and point of view.
- Demonstrate effective paragraph and sentence structure.
- Demonstrate command of mechanics, grammar, and usage according to the conventions of Standard English.
0014 Prepare a developed composition on a given topic using language consistent with a given audience and purpose.
- Employ effective organizational strategies consistent with the topic and purpose of writing.
- Incorporate effective thesis statements, topic sentences, transitions, and conclusions.
- Establish and maintain a specific focus through supporting illustrations and examples.
- Support an argument with effective logic.
- Employ vocabulary consistent with the audience and purpose of the writing sample.
- Demonstrate effective paragraph and sentence structure.
- Demonstrate command of mechanics, grammar, and usage according to the conventions of Standard English.
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