How your writing is marked: the four criteria
By Michael Ukwuma
What raters look for under each criterion, in plain words, and where most points are lost.
Your writing is read by at least four trained raters. Each one scores the same four criteria from Paragon's performance standards. If you know them, you know what to aim for.
Content and Coherence
How many good ideas do you have, how well are they organized, and do you support them with examples and details? A Level 9 writer gives relevant supporting detail, not general statements.
Detail makes the differenceWeak: The park is good for families.
Stronger: The park has a fenced playground and shaded benches, so parents can relax while their children play safely.
Vocabulary
Word choice, range and precision. Raters look at whether your words suit the situation and are used naturally. Rare words used wrongly hurt you.
Readability
Format and paragraphs, linking words, grammar, sentence structure, spelling and punctuation. Can a reader move through your text easily?
Task Fulfillment
Relevance, completeness, tone and word count. This is where strong writers lose points without noticing.
- Did I answer every point in the task?
- Is my purpose or my choice clear at the start?
- Is my tone right for the reader?
- Am I between 150 and 200 words?
Priority. Fix Task Fulfillment first. It is the cheapest score you will ever earn.
Key points
- Four criteria, four raters.
- Details beat general statements.
- Task Fulfillment first.