Agree or disagree. The most common prompt on the

120 TOEFL EXAM ESSENTIALS uniforms, but there should be restrictions about what kind of clothing students can wear.” ALL ABOUT SCORING The scoring system for the computer test and the TWE exam is the same: two readers independently rate your essay and give it a score from 0–6. The two scores are then averaged to determine your final essay score. For example, if one reader gives your essay a score of 6 and the other a 5, your score will be 5.5. If there is a discrepancy of more than one point, e.g., one reader rates your essay a 4, and the other a 6, a third reader will independently score your essay. The developers of the TOEFL exam created a scoring guide to aid readers in rating essays. The guide names specific criteria for each score. The official writing guide is available online at www.toefl.org or in the exam bulletin. Review the qualities of a top-rated essay. The more you know about what official exam read- ers are looking for, the more likely you will meet those expecta- tions. The following guidelines are adapted from the TOEFL exam “Writing Score Guide.” Your Guide to Scoring Score An essay with this score: 6 ■ fully addresses the essay topic ■ makes a clear thesis statement main idea ■ gives appropriate details and examples to support its thesis ■ is organized logically and develops ideas thoroughly WRITING 121 ■ uses correct grammar and makes appropriate word choices consistently ■ demonstrates variety in sentence structure and vocabulary 5 ■ addresses the essay topic, but responds to some parts more effectively than others ■ makes a thesis statement ■ gives details and examples to support its thesis ■ has an overall effective organization and develops ideas e.g., four or five well-developed paragraphs ■ uses correct grammar throughout most of the essay ■ demonstrates some variety in sentence structure and vocabulary 4 ■ addresses the essay topic, but does not respond to all of its parts ■ uses some details to support a thesis ■ is organized but does not use the most effective or logical approach ■ develops ideas adequately e.g., four developed paragraphs ■ includes grammatical and usage errors that may confuse meaning ■ demonstrates less variety in sentence structure and a more limited vocabulary 3 ■ does not have a clear thesis ■ has weak organization and development e.g., two or three short paragraphs ■ offers few or irrelevant details to support its thesis ■ uses words and phrases inappropriately ■ makes several grammatical errors