Readers do not mark on the exams. Holistic scoring attempts to address the paper as a whole, its organization, development, and expression. One of the most important aspects of holistic scoring is that the reader is encouraged to look at what students have done well rather than what they have failed to do. However, ESL students must master English verb forms and must have adequate control over expression. A well-organized essay has clarity both at the paragraph and essay level.
Ideas flow logically through the essay and connections betwee ideas are made for the reader.
A well-developed essay has appropriate examples which amplify and clarify points made. Ideas are explored rather than repeated. A well-expressed essay has not only sentence control and sentence variety but adequate control of grammar, punctuation and spelling. Sentence level error is so severe and pervasive that other strengths of the paper become obscured. Clarity may exist only on the level of the sentence.