Grade 8 Level 5 Writing Sample

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Do you think it is important for people to continue to travel into space? Why or why not? You may want to think about issues, such as:

  • costs
  • dangers
  • rewards.
Student Example

Student writing sample:

Space exploration is an important way to invent machines to make lives easier for us. Space exploration helps humans discover the universe and what dwells within it other than ourselves.  Although space exploration is costly and may mean harm to our environment, the rewards are may help us protect avoid dotat or prevent even natural desater disasters that will mean harm to humans and animals.  Space exploration can be dangerous to the explorer by because the space lacks of gravity and on  oxygen for humans to breathe.  Scientists can be lost in space or run out of fuel and drift into the empty space forever.  Although countless dangers can occur in space, the rewards are of knowledge are pl priceless.  Space exploration is costly, dan and dangerous, but many rewards awaits us.

Selects from a broad range of words (space exploration, universe, invent machines, discover, dangers, important, countless, priceless, easier, costly).

Uses phrasal expressions (dwells within, run out, drift into), conditional structures (no use of “if” as a conditional), a range of tenses (is, make, can be lost, can occur), passive (Space exploration can be dangerous to the explorer because the space lacks of gravity and oxygen for humans to breathe.) and active voice (Scientists can be lost in space or run out of fuel and drift into the empty space forever.).

Writes a variety of sentence structures to express relationships of time and condition (Although space exploration is costly and may mean harm to our environment, the rewards may help us avoid or prevent even natural disasters that will mean harm to humans and animals.).

Uses a variety of strategies to make effective word choices (protect = avoid, dan [dangers] = dangerous).

Level 4: Produces expository text using culturally appropriate form and style (Writes paragraph with topic sentence, supporting detail and concluding sentence.).
Approaching Level 5: Produces expository texts with a developing sense of audience, genre, voice and degree of formality.

Level 4: Connects ideas in a three-paragraph narrative using transition words (although) and subordinate conjunctions (other than, that, because).
Approaching Level 5: Connects ideas in a cohesive, well-developed five-paragraph academic composition using a variety of cohesive devices.

Level 4: Edits and revises texts for capitalization of proper nouns (no evidence), apostrophes, quotation marks, hyphens, dashes, commas (,), regular (exploration) and irregular spelling (ourselves), subject–verb agreement (rewards are of knowledge are), appropriate word choice (awaits us) and addition of supporting details.
Approaching Level 5: Edits and revises text for most punctuation conventions, appropriate word forms, content, organization, verb tense, and active and passive voice.

Use the checkboxes below to display the corresponding benchmark text.

Benchmark Ratings

 
 5
 
 5
 
 5
 
 5
 
 4
 
 4
 
 4
Overall
Benchmark Level:
5

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