As march break ends and spring rolls around, students are anything but rested. After all, just around the corner lies the next greatest challenge for Ontario’s tenth-grade students –the OSSLT. Otherwise known as the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test, this 400 point evaluation offers students the opportunity to put their literacy skills to the test–reading, writing, and analyzing their way to future success. However, even for the English enthusiast, the prospect of tackling such a challenge inspires waves of anxiety among tenth-grade students, allowing fear to cloud their passion for the subject.
Luckily, Titan Times is here to help! Here are some tips from “OSSLT survivors” that will make the test a breeze.
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- Read carefully through the questions on the evaluation. Don’t let internal feelings of anxiety cloud your understanding of the task at hand. Often, students tend to panic upon beginning the OSSLT and subsequently only skim through the initial parts of the question, as opposed to the statement as a whole. You could miss out on key components that are necessary to address!
- Brainstorm/plan ahead. Brainstorming your ideas before writing will allow you to create a structured, organized, and logical product, highlighting the overall message of you, the writer! Remember, you are writing with a purpose–whether that may be to persuade, inform, or raise awareness…so ensure that you leave your “audience” with a message to remember!
- For creative writing pieces: consider your RAFT. Your “role,” “audience,” “format” and “tone,” when planning your long-response answers. This will facilitate the delivery of a smooth, relevant, and structured message when completing the evaluation.
- Manage your time wisely. While brainstorming and planning may cut down on the “thinking” time required for your responses, be sure to keep an eye on the clock! Spending an extensive amount of time on a certain portion of the OSSLT may leave you rushing through the rest of the questions. Good time management will keep your responses consistent in quality and length.
- Make notes of key concepts or ideas! Don’t forget to highlight important details as you read, to ensure that you are able to provide textual evidence in your short-answer responses.
- Take a deep breath…and relax! You can do this! Take on the OSSLT one question at a time, and the hurdle will soon be over. So pick up your pen, take a deep breath, and let’s start writing!
By: Zinnia Chung
Titan Times 