persuasive-marking-naplan

name: persuasive-marking-naplan description: Comprehensive NAPLAN persuasive writing assessment tool. Analyzes persuasive texts against 10 criteria (Audience, Text Structure, Ideas, Persuasive Devices, Vocabulary, Cohesion, Paragraphing, Sentence Structure, Punctuation, Spelling) and provides detailed feedback with scores (0-48 total), specific quotes, strengths, weaknesses, and targeted recommendations. Use when the user needs to grade, assess, evaluate, or provide feedback on persuasive writing according to Australian NAPLAN standards. allowed-tools: Read, Write

NAPLAN Persuasive Marking

Systematic assessment of persuasive writing using official NAPLAN criteria.

This skill provides comprehensive analysis of persuasive texts according to the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) marking guide. It evaluates 10 distinct criteria and produces detailed, evidence-based feedback.

Quick Start

When the user provides a persuasive text for assessment:

1. Confirm the task - Verify you understand they want NAPLAN-based persuasive assessment
2. Follow the step-by-step workflow (see below)
3. Generate comprehensive report with all required components

Assessment Workflow

Follow this systematic, step-by-step approach:

Step 1: Initial Reading & Overview

Action: Read the persuasive text carefully and note:

• Length (word count estimate)
• Position/stance taken
• Overall impression
• Obvious strengths/weaknesses

Output to user: Brief acknowledgment that assessment is beginning.

Step 2: Structure Assessment (Criteria 1-3)

Analyze the foundational persuasive elements in this order:

2A. Text Structure (0-4 points)

Focus: Organisation of persuasive text components (introduction, body, conclusion)

Read reference: references/02-text-structure.md

Assess:

• Is there a clear introduction with position statement?
• Is there a developed body with reasons and evidence?
• Is there a conclusion that reinforces the position?
• How are components developed?

Record:

• Score (0-4)
• Specific quotes showing structural elements
• Feedback explaining the score

2B. Audience (0-6 points)

Focus: Writer's capacity to orient, engage and persuade the reader

Read reference: references/01-audience.md

Assess:

• Does the text orient the reader?
• Are persuasive techniques used to engage?
• Does language choice persuade effectively?
• Is there control of writer/reader relationship?

Record:

• Score (0-6)
• Quotes demonstrating engagement and persuasion
• Feedback on audience awareness

2C. Ideas (0-5 points)

Focus: Selection, relevance and elaboration of ideas for persuasive argument

Read reference: references/03-ideas.md

Assess:

• Are ideas elaborated or merely stated?
• Do ideas relate to the argument effectively?
• Is there reflection on wider issues?
• Are ideas crafted to persuade?

Record:

• Score (0-5)
• Quotes showing idea development
• Feedback on idea quality and relevance

Step 3: Persuasion Assessment (Criterion 4)

3A. Persuasive Devices (0-4 points)

Focus: Use of persuasive devices to enhance position and persuade reader

Read reference: references/04-persuasive-devices.md

Important: About a page of writing is needed to consider sustained use.

Assess:

• What persuasive devices are used?
• How many instances? How many types?
• Are devices effective or ineffective?
• Is use sustained throughout?

Look for:

• Appeals (reason/logos, emotion/pathos, ethics/ethos)
• Rhetorical questions
• Repetition, rule of three
• Emotive language
• Expert opinion, statistics, facts
• Examples and anecdotes
• Modal verbs (should, must, could)
• Inclusive language (we, us, our)
• Counter-arguments and refutation

Record:

• Score (0-4)
• Multiple quotes showing different devices
• Feedback on effectiveness and range

Step 4: Language Assessment (Criteria 5-6)

4A. Vocabulary (0-5 points)

Focus: Range and precision of contextually appropriate language choices

Read reference: references/05-vocabulary.md

Assess:

• Are words mostly simple or precise?
• Is technical or specialized vocabulary used?
• Does vocabulary enhance the argument?
• Is language well-matched to argument style?

Look for:

• Precise nouns and verbs
• Modal adjectives/adverbs
• Technical terms
• Nominalisations
• Figurative language appropriate to persuasion

Record:

• Score (0-5)
• Multiple quotes showing vocabulary range
• Feedback on language sophistication

4B. Cohesion (0-4 points)

Focus: Control of text flow through referring words, substitutions, connectives

Read reference: references/06-cohesion.md

Assess:

• Are sentences linked correctly?
• Are referring words (pronouns) accurate?
• What connectives are used? (however, although, therefore, etc.)
• Is there word association to avoid repetition?

Record:

• Score (0-4)
• Quotes showing effective (or missing) connections
• Feedback on text flow and continuity

Step 5: Presentation Assessment (Criteria 7-10)

5A. Paragraphing (0-3 points)

Focus: Segmenting text into paragraphs to follow line of argument

Read reference: references/07-paragraphing.md

Assess:

• Is paragraphing present and correct?
• Are paragraphs focused on single ideas?
• Do paragraphs include topic sentences?
• Do paragraphs build argument cumulatively?

Note: Paragraphs can be indicated by indentation, spacing, or student annotations.

Record:

• Score (0-3)
• Description of paragraphing strategy
• Feedback on how paragraphs support argument

5B. Sentence Structure (0-6 points)

Focus: Grammatically correct, structurally sound sentences

Read reference: references/08-sentence-structure.md

Assess:

• Are simple sentences correct?
• Are compound/complex sentences correct?
• Is there variety in sentence structure?

Important:

• Read intended sentences even if punctuation is poor
• Run-on sentences with repeated 'and'/'so' are NOT successful
• Verb control and preposition errors are sentence errors
• 'Most' is approximately 80%

Record:

• Score (0-6)
• Quotes showing sentence variety (or lack thereof)
• Feedback on grammatical control

5C. Punctuation (0-5 points)

Focus: Correct and appropriate punctuation

Read reference: references/09-punctuation.md

Assess:

• Sentence punctuation (capitals, full stops, question marks)
• Noun capitalisation (names, places, titles)
• Other punctuation (apostrophes, commas, quotation marks, etc.)

Critical rules:

• Splice commas joining two sentences are INCORRECT
• Don't penalise different heading styles (all acceptable)
• 'Mostly' is approximately 80%

Record:

• Score (0-5)
• Description of punctuation accuracy
• Feedback on punctuation control

5D. Spelling (0-6 points)

Focus: Accuracy of spelling and difficulty of words used

Read reference: references/10-spelling.md

Assess:

• Simple words (cat, shop, will, school)
• Common words (litter, jumped, wrong, between)
• Difficult words (chocolate, invisible, community, habitat)
• Challenging words (responsibility, physically, guarantee)

Important:

• Count at least 10 difficult words for scores 5-6
• For score 6, allow 1-2 minor errors (first draft consideration)

Record:

• Score (0-6)
• Count of difficult/challenging words spelled correctly
• List of spelling errors (if significant)

Step 6: Synthesis & Overall Assessment

Action: Review all criterion scores and identify patterns.

Compile:

1. Overall Strengths (3-5 items)

   • What does the writer do well?
   • Look across all criteria for standout elements
   • Be specific, not generic

2. Overall Weaknesses (3-5 items)

   • What needs most improvement?
   • Focus on actionable areas
   • Prioritize high-impact improvements

3. Total Score

   • Sum all criterion scores
   • Maximum possible: 48 points
   • Calculate percentage if helpful

Step 7: Generate Comprehensive Report

Use the report template: assets/report-template.md

Report must include:

1. Executive Summary

   • Total score (X/48)
   • Overall strengths (3-5 bullet points)
   • Areas for development (3-5 bullet points)

2. Detailed Assessment by Criterion (all 10 criteria) For each criterion:

   • Score (X/max)
   • Assessment paragraph explaining the score
   • Evidence from text (2-4 specific quotes)
   • Recommendations (2-4 actionable items)

3. Score Summary Table

   • All 10 criteria with scores
   • Total score

4. Original Persuasive Text

   • Include the full text in a code block for reference

Formatting requirements:

• Use clear headings and structure
• Quote actual text, don't paraphrase
• Make recommendations specific and actionable
• Ensure feedback is constructive and encouraging

Optional: Use scripts/generate_report.py to format the report programmatically if needed.

Quality Standards

Scoring Accuracy

• Each score must align with the category descriptor in the reference
• Justify scores with specific evidence from the text
• Be consistent across criteria (e.g., sophisticated vocabulary should align with high audience score)

Evidence Quality

• Quote exactly from the text
• Select quotes that clearly demonstrate the point
• Include both positive examples and areas needing work

Feedback Quality

• Be specific, not generic ("Uses sustained persuasive devices" ✅ not "Good writing" ❌)
• Be constructive and encouraging
• Focus on what the writer is doing and what to improve
• Use professional language appropriate for educational assessment

Recommendations Quality

• Make recommendations actionable and specific
• Link recommendations to evidence
• Prioritize high-impact improvements
• Provide examples where helpful

Important Notes

Assessment Philosophy

• Digital text only - No OCR or handwriting interpretation required
• First draft consideration - Minor typos allowed at higher scores
• Context matters - Assess devices and structure in context
• About a page needed - For sustained use (persuasive devices, vocabulary, cohesion)

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

1. Don't penalize age-appropriateness - Year 3 vs Year 9 expectations differ
2. Don't count splice commas as correct - They are punctuation errors
3. Don't ignore intended sentences - Read past poor punctuation to assess structure
4. Don't inflate scores - Be rigorous but fair
5. Don't require sustained use in short texts - About a page needed for sustained assessment

Persuasive Text Structure

• Introduction - Orients reader, states position
• Body - Develops argument with reasons and evidence
• Conclusion - Reinforces position, may reflect or recommend action

When Multiple Interpretations Exist

• Choose the interpretation most favorable to the student
• Note ambiguity in feedback
• Explain your reasoning

Reference Files

Load these as needed during assessment:

• references/01-audience.md - Audience criterion (0-6)
• references/02-text-structure.md - Text structure criterion (0-4)
• references/03-ideas.md - Ideas criterion (0-5)
• references/04-persuasive-devices.md - Persuasive devices criterion (0-4)
• references/05-vocabulary.md - Vocabulary criterion (0-5)
• references/06-cohesion.md - Cohesion criterion (0-4)
• references/07-paragraphing.md - Paragraphing criterion (0-3)
• references/08-sentence-structure.md - Sentence structure criterion (0-6)
• references/09-punctuation.md - Punctuation criterion (0-5)
• references/10-spelling.md - Spelling criterion (0-6)

Example Usage

User: "Can you grade this persuasive text according to NAPLAN standards? [provides text]"

Your workflow:

1. Acknowledge the task
2. Read the persuasive text carefully
3. Follow Steps 1-7 systematically
4. Read each reference file as you assess that criterion
5. Generate the comprehensive report with all components
6. Present the report to the user

Key principle: Be thorough, evidence-based, and constructive. The goal is to provide valuable feedback that helps writers improve their persuasive writing skills.