Written Exam: Secondary School Literacy

This is your final written exam for Grade 9 English. The exam is written under secure online proctoring conditions with video verification to ensure academic integrity.

The exam has a time limit of 90 minutes (1.5 hours) and contains three parts modeled after standard literacy assessments (OSSLT). You will type all three parts directly into the secure text editor.

🔒 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.

📝 Exam Tasks

Part 1: News Report (Approx. 200 words | 25 minutes)

Write a news report based on the following headline and photo description. Your report should be structured with a lead paragraph answering who, what, where, when, why, and how, followed by body paragraphs with supporting details and quotes.

• Headline: “Provincial Education Conference Debates Role of Artificial Intelligence in Classrooms”
• Photo Description: A panel of educators, technology experts, and student representatives speaking on a stage banner titled 'The Future of Literacy'.

Part 2: Opinion Essay (Approx. 400 words | 45 minutes)

Write a series of paragraphs (an opinion essay) expressing your view on the question below. Your essay must include an introduction stating your opinion, two body paragraphs with arguments and specific examples, and a conclusion.

• Question: “What are the important traits or characteristics of a community (it could be any level, from country, to town/city, to an interest group/fandom) that make you feel like you want to participate in it?”

Part 3: Short Answers (Approx. 150 words total | 20 minutes)

Answer the following two short-answer prompts. Each answer should be a clear, cohesive paragraph with supporting details.

• Prompt A (Storytelling): “Explain how the moral or lesson of a modern folk tale can be used to address a current societal issue, using an example from your coursework.”
• Prompt B (Screenwriting): “Describe how a filmmaker uses visual storytelling techniques (such as lighting, camera angles, or music) to communicate a character’s inner motivations without dialogue.”