AWA Scoring and Criteria 2

Question 1

Which of the following best describes what a score of 4 on the AWA indicates?

Accepted Answer

A competent essay that addresses the task with minor flaws

Answer

A score of 4 represents a 'competent' response that adequately addresses the task with only minor weaknesses.

Question 2

How do AWA raters handle essays that contain factual errors about the real world?

Accepted Answer

Factual errors are noted but do not heavily penalize the score unless they undermine the argument

Answer

AWA raters focus on argument quality; factual inaccuracies matter only when they significantly weaken the logical foundation of the essay.

Question 3

What distinguishes a score of 5 from a score of 6 on the AWA?

Accepted Answer

A score of 5 shows strong reasoning with minor lapses, while a score of 6 is outstanding with minimal flaws

Answer

A 6 is 'outstanding' with insightful analysis and virtually no flaws, while a 5 is 'strong' but may have minor lapses in clarity or development.

Question 4

On the AWA, what is the primary role of the e-rater (automated scoring engine)?

Accepted Answer

It serves as a second opinion alongside one human rater

Answer

ETS uses the e-rater as a second rater; if its score closely agrees with the human rater's score, the two scores are averaged.

Question 5

If a test taker submits a blank AWA response, what score will they receive?

Accepted Answer

NS (No Score)

Answer

ETS assigns an 'NS' (No Score) designation when no response is provided, which is different from a scored 0.

(AWA) Analytical Writing Assessment Practice Test