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For info straight from EQAO, take a look at their Getting Ready Guide. It walks you through all of the key information you need to prepare for the OSSLT.
For info straight from EQAO, take a look at their Getting Ready Guide. It walks you through all of the key information you need to prepare for the OSSLT.
Here are some of the highlights:
Here are some of the highlights:
- The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) is a standardized assessment that all Ontario students have to successfully complete in order to graduate from high school.
- The OSSLT is designed to test your reading skills, writing skills, and your ability to follow instructions.
- It's main purpose is to assess if you've met the requirements for literacy (i.e. reading and writing) as they're set out in the Ontario curriculum.
- You write the OSSLT in grade 10
- The test takes place during two 75-minute sessions in one morning (with a short break in between sessions). Everybody in Ontario writes at the same time
- The test is scored out of 400 points and you need at least 300/400 to pass
- The OSSLT does not count towards any marks on your report card
- There are three general types of questions: multiple choice, short answer, and long answer.
getting-ready-guide-osslt.pdfOSSLT Breakdown: At a Glance
OSSLT Breakdown: At a Glance
Types of Texts you'll Read:
Types of Texts you'll Read:
- Informative texts
- Information paragraph
- News Report
- Dialogue/Narrative texts
- Dialogue
- Real-life narrative
- Graphic texts
Types of Questions You'll Answer:
Types of Questions You'll Answer:
- Multiple-choice questions
- Short answer questions
- Reading-based questions (questions that are related to a text you just read)
- Open-response questions
- Long answer questions
- News Report
- Opinion Essay (Series of Paragraphs)
The chart below from EQAO's Planning and Preparation Guide shows exactly what kinds of things you'll have to read and write on the OSSLT:
Skills You'll Be Tested On
Skills You'll Be Tested On
According to EQAO's Planning and Preparation Guide, these are the skills that the OSSLT is focusing on for reading and writing:
Reading:
Reading:
- Understanding explicitly (directly) stated ideas and information
- Understanding implicitly (indirectly) stated ideas and information
- Making connections between information and ideas in a reading selection
Writing:
Writing:
- Developing a main idea with specific supporting details
- Organizing information and ideas in a coherent manner
- Using conventions (syntax, spelling, grammar, punctuation) in a manner that does not distract from clear communication.
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