Писането на есе като компетентност. Какво и как оценяваме
Essay Writing as a Skill. What is Graded and How

Summary/Abstract: This article analyzes the problems that arise in the measurement and grading of writing skills in one of the main genres of school-level texts – the essay. After analyzing the current grading criteria according to the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science (MES), the author reaches the conclusion that an adequate and objective grading scale is possible only after we have clearly defined the criteria that constitute the competence of essay writing. The author’s main proposition is that this competence is dual in its nature – on the one hand, it is content-related, and on the other – communication-related. Neither of these two competences is defined clearly enough in the current educational criteria. The article describes in detail all aspects of the essay writing competence and offers a clear working algorithm. Hence the author offers the idea that an adequate grading scale can only be created if one follows the classic rhetorical scheme which describes the three main components of any discourse formation – inventio, dispositio, and elocutio. A practical measurement and grading scale is proposed. Its usage would grant two major advantages: it would allow the authorities to assess the students’ results adequately and objectively, and it would frame a clear and systematic working algorithm for the acquisition of essay writing skills. According to Bulgarian school programs, this competence is supposed to be taught for four entire years within the two high-school stages of the secondary education.

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