Final Thoughts On Holistic Scoring

When reading an essay holistically, follow these guidelines:

• Spend no more than one to two minutes reading the essay.
• Score the essay immediately—assigning a 1, 2, 3, or 4.
• Avoid looking for specific errors or error patterns.
• Do not mark corrections on the essay.
• Don’t second-guess yourself by changing a score.
• Use the GED Essay Scoring Guide as your reference.
• Refer back to the sample papers in this training as examples of 1, 2, 3, or 4 papers to help you keep the qualities of each level in mind.
• Avoid comparing different students’ essays. Let each essay stand on its own merits.
• Be aware of personal biases. Don’t let your personal expectations or reaction to the content or tone of a paper influence the score.
• Don’t expect perfection. Remember, this is only a 45-minute draft.