ASSESSMENT AND SUPPORT

Writing a body paragraph

Assessment Criteria and What A Good One Looks Like

Below you will find the Skill Check assessment criteria for this skill, and underneath you will find an example of what a good one looks like, with a brief explanation of how it fits the criteria.

Assessment Criteria for Writing a body paragraph for a given text type

minus
any of these things

Basic task instructions have not been followed, including answering the question

Very little written or very poor written expression / technical accuracy

If a type is specified, the paragraph doesn’t match the type

equals
all of these things

Acceptable written expression and accuracy with attempts to match writing to text type

Paragraph content is appropriate and clearly relates to the question

If a type is specified, the paragraph matches the type

plus
all of these things

Accuracy is acceptable and style is appropriate for the text type and audience

Paragraph content is appropriate and clearly relates to the question, with attempts to use persuasive techniques

If a type is specified, the paragraph matches the type

star
all of these things

Accuracy is acceptable and style is effective for the text type and audience

Paragraph content is thoughtful, interesting or original and clearly relates to the question, with persuasive techniques used effectively

If a type is specified, the paragraph matches the type

What a good one looks like

Example task

Imagine you had to answer the following question:

“Only boring people get bored. Boredom leads to creativity and it should be embraced not avoided.”

Write a speech to be delivered in school assembly in which you express your view on this statement.

Write one paragraph from the body of the piece (e.g. not the opening or closing) in which you express your opinion. You can use any of the 3 types of body paragraph, or a mix of several, but write which type(s) you’ve tried to use in the margin.

Example response

We know, from evolutionary psychology, that boredom is a survival mechanism. Keep doing the same thing with no outcome, our bodies tell us, and you’re wasting energy, risking starvation and death. Try moving to the next bush to find fruit. Try waiting on the next ridge for the quarry in the hunt. Try talking to a different girl in the tribe. Boredom is a trigger to try something new, to move out of your comfort zone, to break new ground. Just putting on another podcast or checking TikTok for a bit may not be the best thing for you, or for your tribe, in the long term. It may mean you never find the fruit, the quarry or the girl. (Metaphorically-speaking.)

Notes on this response

  • It is one fairly short paragraph that would sit somewhere in a broader speech.

  • The content clearly relates to the statement in the question.

  • The style is suitably sophisticated, with an embedded clause and ambitious vocabulary like ‘quarry’.

  • It makes use of persuasive techniques like anaphora, parallelism and repetition.

  • It addresses the audience directly, which is appropriate for the text type (a speech delivered in an assembly).

  • The paragraph blends the real-world paragraph type (by discussing evolutionary psychology) with the argument paragraph type (by using this example to make an argument). This is common and often good practice.