A Guide for Students Writing Diploma Exams
Completion requirements
These are past submissions that received a score of excellence.
Requirements of Part B: Reading
Being able to demonstrate reading comprehension skills without the use of a dictionary or thesaurus is essential for the Part B: Reading portion of the diploma examination. Part B requires you to draw on the understanding, knowledge, and skills that you have developed as a reader. Your critical reading and thinking skills—understanding of vocabulary; appreciation of
tone and literary and rhetorical devices; understanding of the purpose and effect of a text creator’s choices; and appreciation of human experience and values reflected in the texts—will be assessed at the level of challenge appropriate for graduating English Language Arts 30–1 students.
In the Readings Booklet, you will read selections from a variety of texts, such as fiction, nonfiction, poetry or song, visual texts, Shakespearean drama, and modern drama (including television or radio scripts or screenplays). The reading selections are not taken from the reading list for your course of studies. Visual texts may be included within a text to enhance the reading and to help you to establish context, or may be presented independently as a reading selection with questions. You may be asked to identify how elements of the visual text convey meaning, relate to the purpose of the text, or contribute to the total effect of the text.
In a separate Questions Booklet, you will read and answer multiple-choice questions about each reading selection. The questions ask you to assess and analyze thought, idea, tone, form, and technique in each selection and to discern how these elements, devices, and techniques communicate to the reader. Some questions require you to consider more than one reading
selection. If linked readings and questions have been included, you should read the passages and answer the questions in the order in which they appear in the booklets.
tone and literary and rhetorical devices; understanding of the purpose and effect of a text creator’s choices; and appreciation of human experience and values reflected in the texts—will be assessed at the level of challenge appropriate for graduating English Language Arts 30–1 students.
In the Readings Booklet, you will read selections from a variety of texts, such as fiction, nonfiction, poetry or song, visual texts, Shakespearean drama, and modern drama (including television or radio scripts or screenplays). The reading selections are not taken from the reading list for your course of studies. Visual texts may be included within a text to enhance the reading and to help you to establish context, or may be presented independently as a reading selection with questions. You may be asked to identify how elements of the visual text convey meaning, relate to the purpose of the text, or contribute to the total effect of the text.
In a separate Questions Booklet, you will read and answer multiple-choice questions about each reading selection. The questions ask you to assess and analyze thought, idea, tone, form, and technique in each selection and to discern how these elements, devices, and techniques communicate to the reader. Some questions require you to consider more than one reading
selection. If linked readings and questions have been included, you should read the passages and answer the questions in the order in which they appear in the booklets.