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Virginia SOL Writing Student Checklist
A one-page student checklist for the grades 5 and 8 Integrated Reading and Writing prompt and the EOC Writing short paper: the two domains, what control looks like, and why specific beats general.
For students · Grades 5 and 8 · EOC Writing · 1 page · PDF
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How to use it: Virginia SOL Writing Explained: IRW and the EOC Writing Test
What's on the sheet
How your writing is scored
Two domains, each scored 1 to 4: Composing/Written Expression and Usage/Mechanics.
| Score | Control of the domain |
|---|---|
| 4 | Consistent, though not necessarily perfect |
| 3 | Reasonable, but not consistent |
| 2 | Inconsistent; significant weakness |
| 1 | Little or none |
Specific beats general
A score of 2 includes “listing general, underdeveloped statements.” A clean paper can still score low.
Use a specific detail from the passage, then explain why it matters.
Composing/Written Expression
- I planned before I wrote.
- My central idea is clear and stays the same. Grade 8 and up: it takes a clear position or purpose.
- My ideas are in a logical order, with an introduction, transitions and a conclusion.
- I elaborated with relevant, specific details from the passage.
- My sentences are varied, and my word choice is specific.
- Grade 8: my conclusion takes a position or offers a solution when that fits.
- EOC short paper: I addressed counterclaims when appropriate.
Usage/Mechanics
- I edited grammar, capitals, punctuation and spelling.
- I used paragraph breaks.
My plan
My central idea
Specific detail from the passage
Why it matters
On the EOC short paper, at least two readers score you and Composing counts twice. The test is untimed but must be finished in one school day, with a 6,000-character limit and spell check. Student summary based on VDOE's writing scoring rubrics and Checklist for Writers; not an official VDOE document.