Marking Criteria (written) levels 1 and 2

Each category may also be affected by considerations such as:

- the willingness to take risks;

- the attempt to introduce sophisticated/complex arguments;

- the relevance of points made;

- the readability of the text produced;

- the completeness of the text produced.

Class	Scale	Mark	Language:accuracy, range and complexity	Task fulfilment and response
First	Excellent 1^st	100	Exceptional for level. Exemplary use of a wide range of vocabulary, and structures. Exceptional use of grammatical structures. Exceptional level of grammar and spelling accuracy.	An exceptional piece of writing. Outstanding for level. Task fulfilled to highest expectations. Highly coherent and original response to the task. Outstanding range of ideas.
	Excellent 1^st	94
	High 1^st	88	Outstanding range of topic-specific vocabulary and complex structures. Outstanding level of grammatical accuracy with hardly any errors.	A highly impressive piece of writing. Task fulfilled to very high expectations. Coherent and original response to task. Excellent range of ideas.
	High Mid 1^st	82
	Low Mid 1^st	78	Excellent range of topic-specific vocabulary and complex structures. Excellent level of grammatical accuracy with hardly any errors.	An impressive piece of writing. Task fulfilled to high expectations. Coherent and some original response to task. Excellent range of ideas.
	Low 1^st	74
Upper second	High 2:1	68	Complex sentence structures are attempted and well executed. Very good range of vocabulary. Generally accurate with only few major and minor errors. Occasional spelling errors.	Very good piece of writing.A very good response to the task. Regularly goes beyond a basic response to give more detailed information. Effective engagement with the task. Very good range of ideas.
	Mid 2:1	65	Complex sentences structures are attempted and generally well executed. Very good ability to use a range of appropriate vocabulary. Generally accurate with some minor and major errors. Few spelling errors.	A good piece of writing. A good response to the task. Content effectively communicated. Good range of ideas.
	Low 2:1	62	Complex sentence structures are attempted but are not always executed competently. Good range of vocabulary but some imprecision may occur. Generally accurate but with occasional slips which for the most part do not compromise clarity of meaning. Some spelling errors.	A mostly good piece of writing. A mostly good response to the task. An element of the task may lack clarity or be missing but generally meets the task demands effectively. Most ideas are well linked. A fair range of ideas.
Lower second	High 2:2	58	Reasonable use of the language with some awkwardness of expression. Some interference from other languages may be present. Reasonable range of vocabulary, but some imprecision occurs. Complex sentence structures are attempted but contain persistent minor errors and occasional major errors, or largely accurate but rather simple sentences. Errors do not generally affect clarity of meaning.	A reasonable if rather simplistic piece of writing. Reasonable response to the task but a few elements may not have been addressed. Occasional additional details conveyed, (e.g. description, simple opinion). Most ideas are linked.
	Mid 2:2	55	Little or no attempt to create complex sentences, and these frequently contain errors. Adequate use of the language with frequent awkwardness of expression. Some interference from other languages may be present. Range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and some imprecisions occur. Persistent errors that may affect clarity of meaning in places.	A rather simplistic piece of writing. Some awareness of main issues but incomplete response to the task. Essential information may be lacking. Some information is irrelevant to the task.
	Low 2:2	52	Limited use of the language with frequent awkwardness of expression. Rare attempts to create complex sentences, and these contain errors. Some interference from other languages is present. Limited range of vocabulary. Persistent errors that may affect clarity of meaning.	A simplistic piece of writing. Some awareness of the main issues but poor grasp of overall picture. Key information is lacking and/or the piece contains some material that is irrelevant.
Third	High 3^rd	48	Frequent inability to use the language. Very rare attempts to create complex sentences and these are largely unsuccessful. Frequent interference from other languages. Very limited range of vocabulary. Persistent errors that affect clarity of meaning.	A superficial piece of writing. Vague awareness of the main issues and/or not appropriate to the task. Key information is missing and/or inaccurate. May contain a significant amount of material that is irrelevant.
	Mid 3^rd	45	Overall performance marred by persistent minor and major errors. Very limited range of vocabulary.
	Low 3^rd	42	Comprehension is hindered in places by awkward expression and interference of other languages.
Fail	High Fail	38	Widespread inability to use the language. Persistent minor and major errors predominate, which affect comprehension. Extremely poor range of vocabulary. Comprehension is hindered by awkward expression and interference from other languages.	An unsatisfactory piece of writing. Little or no awareness of the main issues. Key information is missing and/or inaccurate. Work fails to meet the required standards. Occasional words recognisable within sentences. May fall short of the length required.
	Fail	32	Inadequate command of the language which hinders comprehension. Severely limited in every aspect: grammar, vocabulary and spelling.	An inadequate piece of writing. Inadequate awareness of the main issues. Key information is missing and /or inaccurate. Work is significantly below the standard required at this level. May fall short of the length required.
	Fail	25	Little evidence of language competence. Comprehension is near impossible. Or not enough language to assess.	A wholly inadequate piece of writing. Wholly inadequate grasp of the main issues. Work that falls well below the standards required at this level, and a total inability to write to the conventions of the task set.
	Low Fail	12	Nothing of merit.	Nothing of merit.
Zero	Zero	0	Essentially nothing of value.	No attempt at response OR absent.