A M A L I T E C H 

Analytical Writing Exam 

A proposal with a brief introduction, sample questions, 
marking rubrics and marked sample answers  

T​ he Analytical Writing exam will test the ability of a participant to develop and evaluate 

logical arguments and express them coherently. It will consist of two parts. In the first part, the 
participant will write an argumentative essay on one of the assigned topics, typically agreeing or 
disagreeing with a statement, citing reasons. In the second part, the participant will read an 
argument and will be asked to evaluate it.  
What follows is a list of sample topics for each part, with rubrics to allow fair and consistent 
marking standards, and some sample answers that have been marked to demonstrate how to 
apply the rubric.  

Analytical Writing I – Writing an Essay  

What is it about? ​In this part of the Analytical Writing exam, participants will be given a choice of 
two or more topics that they will write an essay about. Typically, they will be introduced to an 
issue and a contentious claim, and asked if they are for or against it.  

What is the purpose?​ ​This section will test how well a participant analyze an issue, develop a 
stance, and express it coherently with valid arguments.   

What will we evaluate? ​Concisely, this section will evaluate the participant’s ability to build a 
thesis and argue for it with reasons and examples, in an organized manner and with clarity.  

Voila!​ Let’s deal with the details.  

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Sample Questions  
 

1. Electronic devices such as mobile phones and laptops should not be allowed in classrooms 

Do you agree or disagree with this claim? Write an essay in favor of your position. Explain the 
reasons on which you base your stance.  

2. Experts say machines and robots will soon take over a large number of human jobs  

Do you think that means more prosperity for common people, or more poverty? Argue in favor of 
your position in an essay. Support your stance with reasons and examples.  

Scoring Rubric  
Here is a scoring rubric on a 10-point scale. It has been designed for a fair and consistent 
evaluation of an argumentative essay.  

  2 points  The participant has understood the issue and taken a clear 
stance 
Stance 
1 point   The participant has taken a vague position  

0 points  The participant did not understand the issue and the stance 
is irrelevant  

  2 points   The stance has been developed in the essay with several 
arguments in favor of it. There may even be a refutation 
 
of opposing arguments.  
Development 
1 point   The stance has been developed with one relevant argument 
or several less-relevant ones 

0 points  The participant does not cite valid reasons for taking a 
position 

  2 points  The ideas are organized properly, with a clear introduction, 

body paragraphs dealing with one idea each, and a 

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 conclusion. The ideas are connected to each other with 
 
appropriate transitions. Other formats are also allowed, 
  as long as the essay is well structured.  

Organization  1 point   The essay has some structure, but either the ideas are not 
organized properly into paragraphs, or the author loses 
focus and adds irrelevant information, or the introduction 
or conclusion is needed but missing  

0 points  The essay does not seem like an organized response to the 
topic and lacks any structure or coherence.   

  2 points   Facility with language allows the participant to use a vast 

vocabulary and different sentence structures to fluently 
 
express their points 
Fluency 
1 point   The participant’s ability to express themselves fluently seems 
to be limited by limited facility with language  

0 points  Has problems with the use of language and that affects the 
participant’s ability to convey meaning 

  2 points  Rare mistakes of spelling and grammar, one per paragraph or 
less  
Grammar 
1 point   Some grammatical and spelling mistakes 

0 points  Poor grammar and spellings, sometimes making it hard to 

understand the meaning  

 
 

Sample Essay 1  

Here we have a 10/10 essay, with explanations based on the scoring rubric  

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Books will not make people wise, ancient Greek philosopher Plato  Stance: 2 points 
had said. Instead, he believed, writing would make people forgetful.  The writer has understood the issue from either 
He was concerned about the consequences of the emerging 
angle, and then taken a clear stance with a 
technology of his time as we are worried about the consequences of 
the new devices of our times. But he could not turn the tide of time  strong thesis statement in the introduction 
and neither can we. Computers are not a fundamental part of human  paragraph.  
life and will be even more ubiquitous in the future. I strongly disagree   
with banning electronic devices in classrooms. They are useful as  Development: 2 points  
tools of education, they can create new ways of learning, and they  Three reasons have been identified in favor of 
prepare pupils for the times to come.   the stance early on. Then each has been dealt 
Firstly, electronic devices can at the very least be used in classrooms 
as educational aids for traditional teaching methods. They can store 
with thoroughly, with some examples. The basic 
books, for example, they can show visuals and animations, and some  counter-argument has also been addressed.  
apps can even be used for classroom interaction. There was a time in   
the recent past when having audiovisual equipment in every  Organization: 2 points  
classroom was a distant dream. Now that every student can have  There is an introduction that grabs attention and 
sophisticated audiovisual equipment in their pocket, there is no  lays out the argument. Each reason given in the 
reason not to make good use of it. If there were no other advantages 
support of the argument is discussed in separate 
to contemporary electronic devices, this alone would be a formidable 
argument for their use in classrooms.   paragraphs. The essay is concluded concisely.  
On top of that, computers are at the very center of new didactic   
methods. Educationists now believe teaching should not be restrained  Fluency: 2 points 
by putting learning into isolated boxes of subjects like language,  The essay demonstrates good vocabulary and 
math or science. Instead, they argue in favor of active learning in  facility with language.  
which students pursue all kinds of knowledge in order to work on   
holistic projects that find solutions to problems. From the world wide 
web to word processing, from graphics and videos to computer 
Grammar: 2 points 
modeling and programming, electronic devices are essential to such  Grammatical errors and spelling mistakes are 
education. Contemporary classrooms are therefore incomplete  rare, if any at all  
without them.    
Last but not the least, students must prepare themselves for the life of 
tomorrow, which will be lived among computers and networks. 
Learning to code is therefore seen as important for independent and 
responsible citizens of tomorrow. One cannot, in any way, teach 
students how to code without electronic devices in classrooms.  
In conclusion, I would admit the need of rules for the use of electronic 
devices in the classrooms to make sure they help learning instead of 
hindering it. However, now that after years of progress we have 
finally been able to have the knowledge of the world in the palms of 
our hands, it makes little sense to forbid it in classrooms. 
 
 

 
 

Sample Essay 2  

This is a 6/10 essay, with explanations based on the scoring rubric  

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  Stance: 2 points 
I believe that robots and machines taking over human jobs  The writer has understood the issue and then 
will be going to lead to more human progress, because it may  taken a strong, clear stance 
be the way to end capitalist exploitation of humans by   
humans. When people are free and machines take the job of  Development: 1 point  
manufacturing the essential items of everyday life, people will  One argument is clearly identified, and a second 
be free to use their time to go for other hobbies and interests, 
related one is not properly isolated and 
such as research or arts.  
Especially since the beginning of the industrial revolution,  developed  
there has been an elite class which is exploiting people and   
using them like machines with no respect for their happiness  Organization: 1 point  
and their basic writes. The capitalists who earn the most are  Some organization, but ideas overflow between 
the people who exploit cheap laborer to produce things more  paragraphs 
cheaply. When machines will take over those jobs, there will  Fluency: 1 point 
be no competition among people for lower and lower  Limited vocabulary, sometimes unable to do 
salaries, and robots will do the job for low cost.  justice to sophisticated ideas  
Because of that the prices of everything will go down and   
there will be availability of daily use items enough to allow  Grammar: 1 point 
people to have universal basic income and free to follow their  Several errors of spelling and grammar, but 
instincts. People will choose any hobbies, sports or scientific  rarely making it hard to understand the point  
endeavor they are interested in and will be able to work on 
things they are passionate about. In my personal opinion, this   
is the basic definition of progress. If we talk about only 
material progress, it will also increase when people are using 
our collective brain power to create and innovate. Therefore I 
believe it is a good thing that robots and machines are taking 
over physical jobs leaving mental jobs for people. 
 
 
 

Analytical Writing II – Evaluating an 

Argument  
What is it about? ​Participants will read a short passage of a text in which the author is making an 
argument. They will be asked a question that requires them to assess the argument.   

What is the purpose?​ ​The purpose of this section is to gauge how well the participant can 
understand an argument, assess it, and critique it based on any assumptions or fallacies.  

What will we evaluate? ​This section will evaluate the participant’s ability to understand an 
argument, assess its strengths and weaknesses, and write about in a reasonable, organized and 
clear way.  

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Here are some sample questions and responses, along with a rubric.  

  

Sample Questions  
 

3. Radha Tyrrell Inc is a business organization whose profits rely on its robust team of 
salespeople. That is why it has a system of employee evaluation in place since its very 
inception. For decades, managers have been asked to evaluate their subordinates on a 
quarterly basis. Raises, promotions and bonuses have depended on those evaluations. Some 
years ago, Radha Tyrell Inc changed their evaluation mechanism. Now, the subordinates also 
get to evaluate their bosses every quarter, and the managers’ promotions also depend on their 
ratings. Internal surveys show that employees are happier with this mechanism. Therefore, the 
new system is good for the company.   

Is the argument made in this text supported well by the evidence it cites? What other proofs 
would be needed to come to this conclusion?  

4. Sugar-free carbonated drinks are believed to help dieters cut down on useless calories, but 
some research also links them to weight gain. Scientists have shown in one study last year that 
the participants who were consuming diet soda were also mostly the ones who were 
diagnosed to be overweight. Perhaps that is a sign that if you want to lose weight, you should 
remove sugar-free soda from your diet.  

Does the evidence justify the claim in this text? If it does not, what kind of other proofs will be 
needed to assert that point?  

Scoring Rubric  
Here is a scoring rubric on a 10-point scale. It has been designed for a fair and consistent 
evaluation of a response to an argument.  

  2 points  The participant has identified the argument and the 

evidence(s) 
Identification 
1 point   The participant has misunderstood one of the two  

0 points  The participant’s response is irrelevant   

  2 points   The participant has come up with two or more valid 

arguments and substantiated them well  
 

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 Critique   1 point   At least one relevant point has been made, with one or more 
less relevant ones 

0 points  The participant does not cite valid reasons for taking a 
position, or expresses personal opinion  

  2 points  The ideas are organized properly, coherently and cogently, 

and connected with each other with appropriate 
 
transitions  
Organization 
1 point   The response has some structure, but sometimes the 
participant loses focus  

0 points  The essay does not seem like an organized response to the 
argument and lacks any structure  

  2 points   Facility with language allows the participant to use a vast 

vocabulary and different sentence structures to fluently 
 
express their points 
Fluency 
1 point   The participant’s ability to express themselves fluently seems 
to be limited by limited facility with language  

0 points  Has problems with the use of language and that affects the 
participant’s ability to convey meaning 

  2 points  Rare mistakes of spelling and grammar, one per paragraph or 
less  
Grammar 
1 point   Some grammatical and spelling mistakes 

0 points  Poor grammar and spellings, sometimes making it hard to 

understand the meaning  

 
Sample Response 1  
This is what an unsatisfactory response would look like. It has been marked 4.  

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  Identification: 0 points 
I do not believe subservients should be able to evaluate their  No comprehension of the specific argument 
superior bosses because they are not at the skill and   
experience level to make that decision.   Critique: 0 points  
Nobody starts his career by being boss. Only those workers  The response is just personal opinion  
become bosses who have spent many years working hard   
and proving themselves. When they come to those positions,  Organization: 1 point  
then they see what their juniors cannot see. Then how can 
There is a hint of organization, but no focus 
juniors allowed to judge their seniors? So it doesn’t matter if 
juniors are happy.    
People can be happy doing what they are no suppose to do.  Fluency: 1 point 
In any organization there is hierarchy. Every boss will also  Very limited vocabulary  
have a boss. Why cant their bosses evaluate them? And   
everybody evaluates their subservients. If someone wants to  Grammar: 1 point 
evaluate then they proved themselves by becoming senior.  Many spelling and grammar errors  
Otherwise the company ​culture will be destroyed.   

Sample Response 2  

This is an 8/10 response, with errors of spelling and diction, but a strong argument  

 
  Identification: 2 points 
Since research shows a link between diet sodas and obesity, the  The participant has understood the argument, 
author of the text conclude that weightwatchers should stay away 
and has pointed out the exact problem with it   
from sugar-free fizzy drinks. This is a case of confusing correlation 
with causation. Instead of diet drinks making people overweight, it   
could also be the other way round, that the people were drinking  Critique: 2 points  
sugar-free products because they were overweight. Thus the  Three points have been made in response to the 
evidence cited in the text does not automatically support the main  question. Two of them have been elaborated 
argument. There are two ways with which such causation can be  well.  
proved.   
First, there should be evidence that people began to gain weight after 
drinking diet soda. The participants of the research should have had 
Organization: 2 points  
their weighs noted, and then half of them should of been asked to  The arguments are laid out largely in an 
drink diet coke while others to drink regular one. If the group that  organized way and transitions are smooth  
were drinking sugar free drinks would then gain weight, that would   
be stronger evidence for the argument that overweight people should  Fluency: 1 point 
not consume diet coke.   Limited vocabulary gets in the way of being 
Simultaneously, this evidence can only be used after eliminating any 
articulate  
differences between they other things the participants are eating. It 
may be that they are consuming other sugary stuff while also   
drinking diet coke. This is common. When people drink sugar-free  Grammar: 1 point 
drinks, they feel that they have saved some calories which they can 

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then compensate for by eating chocola​te, candy and such stuff.  A number of careless spelling and grammar 
Before this has been found out, it is not possible to make the  mistakes  
conclusion as seen in the text.  
 
Finally, if both the above evidences are there, the strongest proof will 
still come from a direct research on which thing in diet drink is 
causing a weight gain. To compare weight gain of people drinking 
diet drinks and regular drinks of the same brand may also be useful.  
Until then, it is not wise to conclude immediately that there is a 
cause-and-effect link between diet drinks and obesity ​ .  

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