Writing prompts
OWA for vocational learners/students
The Adult Online Writing Assessment for VET learners and ESL students is available as part of ACER's Core Skills Profile for Adults. Writing prompts are designed to appeal to a broad range of students studying within vocational education and training settings.
For more information about the assessment content and reporting please visit Core Skills Profile for Adults.
OWA for higher education, pathway students, graduates and employees
For higher education students, new graduates and employees, the OWA prompts are designed to gain an indication of written communication skills upon entry or exit from an undergraduate or graduate course of study. At this level, the OWA can also be utilised by organisations, dual sector TAFEs and universities as a screening tool to judge suitability for recruitment, program selection or advancement.
To find out more about the OWA for higher education and recruitment contact nikki.mangum@acer.org
The writing prompts
Written communication is considered to be the purposeful, informed and effective control of the understanding, organisation and expression of ideas and information in writing.
The ACER OWA aims to assess the ability of students to write effectively to two prompts, each of which addresses a distinct genre:
- Argument
- Report
The argument task requires students to develop a point of view about an issue and structure a clear, coherent and logical argument in support of that view. This type of writing is most readily described as persuasive writing but also requires the transmittal of information.
The report task requires students to comprehend, select, organise and present clearly a summary report based on facts, figures and pictures presented in the stimulus.