Topic 1, administered on Day 1, requires the student to complete a piece of narrative writing and Topic 2, administered on the second day, requires explanatory writing. This is an untimed test.
Most students complete each response in two hours or less.
The MWT is administered for the first time to students in Grade 7. The test is given on two consecutive days at the end of November or beginning of December. Results are usually available at the end of March. The Maryland Writing Test assesses narrative and explanatory writing skills included in Howard County's middle school writing curriculum. It is a conscious process of selecting, combining, arranging, and developing ideas in effective sentences and paragraphs for a variety of purposes, which serve both public and personal needs.