Written Exam: Synthesis Essay

Suggested Duration: 2 Hours

The final exam is a proctor-secured written essay worth 25% of your final grade.

To comply with the Ontario Ministry of Education guidelines for secure, authentic assessment, you will prepare your outline and quotes beforehand, and then draft your essay live on camera in the secure text editor.


πŸ”’ Secure Exam Guidelines

  1. Accessing the Workspace: Click "Start Secure Written Exam" in your course dashboard. You will be redirected to the secure workspace at exam.asyncacademy.ca.
  2. Lockdown Mode: Once the session begins, your browser will enter locked full-screen mode. Tabbing out, resizing the window, or using external apps will trigger a workspace lockout.
  3. Proctoring: You must record a continuous 3/4 side-view video of your workspace using your phone during the session, and upload the link to Google Drive on submission.

πŸ“ Pre-Exam Preparation & Reference Notes

Before starting the proctored exam writing session, you must prepare a notes and outline document.

  • What is allowed: Your preparation notes should contain bullet points, structured outlines, thesis statements, and exact quotes/references, but no full pre-written paragraphs.
  • How to use them: When starting the secure exam workspace, you will paste these preparation notes into the check-in screen. The system will load them into the scrollable Reference Notes sidebar so they remain visible while you write your essay from scratch.

✍️ Written Essay Options (Choose One)

Write a multi-paragraph synthesis essay (500–800 words) on one of the three prompts below. Support your arguments with specific examples, quotes, and insights from your coursework.

Option 1: Technology & Human Voice

Prompt: To what extent does generative artificial intelligence (AI) threaten or enhance the development of human voice, identity, and original thought in writing? Argue your position using specific evidence from your coursework and your own experience drafting and editing with LLM tools.

Option 2: Ambition & Ethical Choices

Prompt: In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, characters choose to pursue their ambitions at the expense of their moral principles, leading to psychological guilt and decay. To what extent does Macbeth's downfall serve as a warning about the consequences of prioritizing ambition over ethical considerations in modern life? Draw comparisons to contemporary society and your course readings.

Option 3: Authentic Identity vs. Public Persona

Prompt: How does literature and media reflect the tension between an individual's authentic identity and the public personas they are pressured to perform? Discuss this tension by analyzing a character from your selected Novel Study or a modern public figure/influencer studied in our branding unit, explaining what their choices teach us about navigating expectations in today's world.

Assessment

What to Turn In

πŸ›‘οΈ Secure Exam Workspace

To comply with Ontario ministry guidelines, you must draft your final exam essay live in our secure proctored editor environment.

demo exam
  • πŸ“€

    Your completed Synthesis Essay (pasted outline notes sidebar + final written draft) typed live from scratch in the Secure Workspace

  • πŸ“€

    A Google Drive link to your phone camera proctoring recording

πŸ’‘ A Different Way to Learn

Async Academy courses are inquiry-based. There are no rote answer keys or multiple-choice worksheets here. You learn by exploring, questioning, and building projects you care about.

Because your discovery path is completely unique, you need a human sounding board. Enroll to submit your projects and get personalized video feedback from an Ontario Certified Teacher to guide your work.

Learning Goals

We are learning to:

  • 🎯

    Draft a cohesive, structured academic essay under timed conditions without generative AI assistance

  • 🎯

    Select and synthesize textual evidence to defend an arguable thesis statement

  • 🎯

    Apply self-correction strategies to ensure clear syntax and grammatical accuracy

Success Criteria

I can:

  • βœ…

    Formulate a clear, arguable thesis and structured outline beforehand

    Expectations Covered: W1, W2
  • βœ…

    Write a multi-paragraph academic essay live under proctored conditions

    Expectations Covered: W2, W3
  • βœ…

    Integrate relevant quotes or case study evidence

    Expectations Covered: W1, W2
  • βœ…

    Provide a complete proctored video recording verifying your authentic work

    Expectations Covered: OC1, OC2

Rubric

Category Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1
Knowledge / Understanding
How well does the student demonstrate understanding of the chosen play/biography themes and structures?
Demonstrates a thorough, deep, and accurate understanding of key themes, character arcs, and structures Demonstrates a considerable and accurate understanding of key themes, character arcs, and structures Demonstrates some understanding of key themes, character arcs, and structures Demonstrates limited understanding, with frequent inaccuracies or superficial analysis
Thinking / Inquiry
How effectively does the student construct a persuasive argument and support their thesis statement under timed conditions?
Thesis is highly sophisticated, and arguments are exceptionally logical, well-defended, and cohesive Thesis is clear, and arguments are logical, well-defended, and cohesive Thesis is basic, and arguments are generally logical with some inconsistencies or gaps Thesis is unclear, and arguments are weak, disjointed, or lack support
Application
How effectively does the student integrate textual evidence (quotes) and adhere to the proctoring protocols?
Integrates evidence seamlessly and follows all proctoring/recording guidelines flawlessly Integrates evidence effectively and follows proctoring/recording guidelines Integrates evidence with uneven effectiveness and follows most proctoring guidelines Integrates little or no evidence, or fails to adhere to proctoring guidelines
Communication
How clearly, logically, and grammatically does the student express their ideas in the written essay?
Expresses ideas with a high degree of clarity, flow, and grammatical precision Expresses ideas clearly, logically, and with considerable grammatical accuracy Expresses ideas with some clarity and logic, but has minor grammatical errors Written communication lacks clarity, organization, or contains frequent errors that impede understanding
Knowledge / Understanding
Criteria: How well does the student demonstrate understanding of the chosen play/biography themes and structures?
Level 4

Demonstrates a thorough, deep, and accurate understanding of key themes, character arcs, and structures

Level 3

Demonstrates a considerable and accurate understanding of key themes, character arcs, and structures

Level 2

Demonstrates some understanding of key themes, character arcs, and structures

Level 1

Demonstrates limited understanding, with frequent inaccuracies or superficial analysis

Thinking / Inquiry
Criteria: How effectively does the student construct a persuasive argument and support their thesis statement under timed conditions?
Level 4

Thesis is highly sophisticated, and arguments are exceptionally logical, well-defended, and cohesive

Level 3

Thesis is clear, and arguments are logical, well-defended, and cohesive

Level 2

Thesis is basic, and arguments are generally logical with some inconsistencies or gaps

Level 1

Thesis is unclear, and arguments are weak, disjointed, or lack support

Application
Criteria: How effectively does the student integrate textual evidence (quotes) and adhere to the proctoring protocols?
Level 4

Integrates evidence seamlessly and follows all proctoring/recording guidelines flawlessly

Level 3

Integrates evidence effectively and follows proctoring/recording guidelines

Level 2

Integrates evidence with uneven effectiveness and follows most proctoring guidelines

Level 1

Integrates little or no evidence, or fails to adhere to proctoring guidelines

Communication
Criteria: How clearly, logically, and grammatically does the student express their ideas in the written essay?
Level 4

Expresses ideas with a high degree of clarity, flow, and grammatical precision

Level 3

Expresses ideas clearly, logically, and with considerable grammatical accuracy

Level 2

Expresses ideas with some clarity and logic, but has minor grammatical errors

Level 1

Written communication lacks clarity, organization, or contains frequent errors that impede understanding