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9. You need to travel from your home to a place 40 miles (64 kilometers) away. Compare the different kinds of transportation you could use. Tell which method of travel you would choose. Give specific reasons for your choice.

To score a "6," the essay will be a well organized one that accomplishes the three requirements of the assignment. First, the writer must compare (i.e., show similarities) different kinds of transportation he could use. This implies that the writer discuss at least two or more differing transportation methods. Second, not waffling on the issue, the writer should take a position by identifying which method of transportation he would use. The argument should be logical and plausible and cause the reader to reconsider his point of view if he is in disagreement or cause the reader to further bolster his position if he is in agreement. Third, the writer should give two or more reasons to show why he would choose this method of transportation. The essay will have a high degree of grammatical correctness and syntactic variety but may have slight flaws in writing, consistent with timed, first draft prose.

When traveling, it is important to think about the distance you will travel so that you can use the best transportation to get to your destination. When choosing a mode of transportation, a person can use a bike, walk, drive a car, or take the bus. Since the distance to be traveled is longer, then the choice of vehicle should be the one which would cover the longer distance: 40 miles.

If time is not a factor, then I enjoy biking and walking. I usually do these things as a method of exercise or just for the enjoyment of getting out of the house. However, I usually do not travel more than a few miles using these kinds of transportation. Because of the time factor, it would be ridiculous for me to attempt to walk or bike 40 miles.

Another option would be public transportation such as a bus or even a taxi. I am not really aware of how the bus system works. It would be difficult for me to plan a route using the bus system to travel 40 miles. A taxi, on the other hand, could be a better idea. Although I have not used taxis, it seems a taxi would be easier to use than the bus. But the taxi would not be my first choice. With a taxi, I must be careful about not being overcharged, and I worry about safety, things like dangerous drivers. For these reasons, a taxi would not be a good option for me.

To me, the best mode of traveling 40 miles would be my own car. I have worked hard to pay for my car, so I deserve to enjoy the convenience of driving my own vehicle. I can set my own schedule in order to get to my destination. I don't have to ask permission to anyone. I will be able to listen to whatever radio station I choose; I will also be able to set the air condition as cool as I like. Having my own vehicle is not only convenient but it also ensures that I don't have to be concerned about the comfort of other people.

After comparing different kinds of transportation, the method I would choose is my own vehicle. Although other options can be considered, I still feel that for a 40 miles trip, the best option would be to use my own car. Any other kind of transportation would not ensure my comfort or my optimum benefit.

9. Comments on how this essay meets ETS criteria for a "6:"

This essay demonstrates clear competence in writing on both the rhetorical and syntactic levels.

•By saying "when choosing a mode of transportation, a person can use a bike, walk, drive a car, or take the bus," the writer announces which forms of transportation will be compared. The next sentence makes a point statement about the four modes of transportation: "Since the distance to be traveled is longer, then the choice of vehicle should be the one which would cover the longer distance: 40 miles," which adds purpose to the essay. And by developing those four methods of transportation in subsequent paragraphs with specific reasons and examples, the writer has effectively addressed the writing task. He has shown all four are viable means of transportation but due to his own personal needs, he argues that the car is the one best suited to him.

•Paragraphs two, three, four, and five use appropriate details to support the thesis. For example, in the fourth paragraph, the writer uses the example of convenience as a supporting example as to why he prefers the car as the best mode of transportation to cover the forty mile distance. Additionally, the writer discusses not having to ask permission, being to able to choose music, and setting the air condition to his liking as reasons why the car is the most convenient of the different methods of transportation.

•The essay has a variety of sentence structures, some of which include reduced adverb clauses (i.e., When traveling, it is important to think about the distance you will travel so that you can use the best transportation to get to your destination.), and compound sentences (i.e., With a taxi, I must be careful about not being overcharged, and I worry about safety, things like dangerous drivers). Adding further to the polish of the essay, no significant sentence structure or mechanical errors are evident in the essay.

•The writer also has a good command of vocabulary (i.e., vehicle, ridiculous, route, overcharged, deserve, optimum, ensure, and option) and transitional words (i.e., another, on the other hand, however, after, and although...) to demonstrate appropriate word choice.