how and why examples of a particular genre are organized to make meaning. This stage allows students to analyze the representatives of a text, its generic
structures and linguistic features. 3. Joint construction of the text
In this stage, students work together with the guidance of the teacher to create a text. The teacher gives a chance for students to practice writing in
peers or groups to share their critical thinking in creating a text. 4. Independent construction of the text
In this stage, students begin to work independently. After they obtaining the writing skills from the process of joint construction of the text, they are
expected to be able to produce a new text of a certain genre individually. 5. Linking related texts
In this stage, students relate the text they have created to other texts which have been produced before or will be produced. The teacher can ask
them to show the similarities and differences between those texts.
c. Writing Assessment
Assessment is a part of teaching that cannot be separated. It is an integral part of the teaching learning cycle. Sometimes, assessment is misunderstood as a
test but in reality assessment is different from the test. A test is only a subset of assessment.
Each skill in language teaching also has its different method in assessing the students’ performance. Writing is no exception. In the field of the second
language teaching, writing is no longer a convention for recording speech and for reinforcing grammatical and lexical features of language. Teachers have fully
understood the uniqueness of writing as a skill with its own features and conventions. They also understand that writing skill is difficult to master, even in
the students’ native language. It follows logically that the assessment of writing is no simple task to do. Teachers have to consider the different genre of written
language, types of writing, and micro- and macroskills of writing before starting to do the writing assessment.
Related to this study, the researcher adapts an analytical scale of writing assessment created by Jacobs et al.1981 in Weigle 2002 : 115-116. In the
Jacobs et al scale, the criteria are rated on the five aspects of writing: content 30 points, organization 20 points, vocabulary 20 points, language use 25
points, and mechanic 5 points. These assessing criteria will only be used to assess the final product of students’ writing. Below is the scoring profile that will
be used to assess the students’ final writing product.
Table 2: Scoring profile adapted from Jacobs et al. 1981 in Weigle 2002:116
Aspect of Writing
Level Score
Criteria Content
Excellent to very
good 24-30
Relevant to assigned topic and give detail information
Matches the social purpose of the text
Good to average
16-23 Mostly relevant to topic but
lacks of detail information Matches the social purpose of
the text but lacks of detail. Fair to
poor 8-15
Inadequate development of topic
Almost matches the social purpose of the text
Very poor
1-7 Not related to the topic
Does not match the social purpose of the text
Organization Excellent
to very good
16-20 Well organized
Logical sequencing Good to
average 11-15
Loosely organized but main ideas stand out
Logical but incomplete sequencing
Fair to poor
6-10 Ideas confused or disconnected
Lacks of logical sequencing and development
Very poor
1-5 Does not communicate
No organization
Vocabulary Excellent
to very good
16-20 Effective word form, choice
and usage Word form mastery
Good to average
11-15 Occasional errors or word form,
choice, or usage but meaning not obscured
Fair to poor
6-10 Frequent errors of word form,
choice, or usage Meaning confused or obscured
Very poor
1-5 Little knowledge of English
vocabulary and word form, choice, or usage
Language use Excellent
to very good
25-22 Few errors of agreement, tense,
word order, articles, pronoun, preposition
Good to average
21-18 Several errors of agreement,
tense, word order, articles, pronoun, preposition
Meaning seldom confused or obscured
Fair to poor
17-11 Frequent errors of agreement,
tense, word order, articles, pronoun, preposition
Meaning confused or obscured Very
poor 10-5
Dominated by errors Does not communicate
Mechanics
Excellent to very
good 5
Demonstrates mastery of convention
Few errors of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and
paragraphing Good to
average 4
Occasional errors of spelling, punctuation, capitalization,
paragraphing but meaning not obscured
Fair to poor
3 Frequent errors of spelling,
punctuation, capitalization, paragraphing
Meaning confused or obscured Very
poor 2
No mastery of convention Dominated by errors of
spelling, punctuation, capitalization, paragraphing
3. Graphic Organizers a. Definition of Graphic Organizers
