IXL skill plan | Writing and Language plan for the PSAT®

Skill plan for the PSAT^® - Writing and Language

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Score range

less than 400
400-490
500-590
600-690
700+

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Score range: less than 400
Grammar and mechanics		Sentence structure 1. Is it a complete sentence or a fragment? 2. Is it a complete sentence or a run-on? 3. Is it a complete sentence, a fragment, or a run-on? Punctuation 4. Commas with a series 5. Commas with compound and complex sentences Verbs 6. Use the correct subject or verb 7. Use the correct subject or verb – with compound subjects 8. Use the progressive verb tenses 9. Choose between the past tense and past participle 10. Use the perfect verb tenses Possessives 11. Form the singular or plural possessive 12. Identify and correct errors with plural and possessive nouns
Grammar and mechanics
Sentence structure 1. Is it a complete sentence or a fragment? 2. Is it a complete sentence or a run-on? 3. Is it a complete sentence, a fragment, or a run-on? Punctuation 4. Commas with a series 5. Commas with compound and complex sentences Verbs 6. Use the correct subject or verb 7. Use the correct subject or verb – with compound subjects 8. Use the progressive verb tenses 9. Choose between the past tense and past participle 10. Use the perfect verb tenses Possessives 11. Form the singular or plural possessive 12. Identify and correct errors with plural and possessive nouns

Organization and development		Introductions 1. Choose the best topic sentence Transitions 2. Choose the best transition Organizing information 3. Order items from most general to most specific 4. Organize information by main idea 5. Remove the sentence that does not belong Developing and supporting arguments 6. Distinguish facts from opinions 7. Identify an author's statement of opinion 8. Choose reasons to support an opinion
Organization and development
Introductions 1. Choose the best topic sentence Transitions 2. Choose the best transition Organizing information 3. Order items from most general to most specific 4. Organize information by main idea 5. Remove the sentence that does not belong Developing and supporting arguments 6. Distinguish facts from opinions 7. Identify an author's statement of opinion 8. Choose reasons to support an opinion

Language and word choice		Commonly confused words 1. Use the correct frequently confused word Word nuance 2. Describe the difference between related words 3. Positive and negative connotation
Language and word choice
Commonly confused words 1. Use the correct frequently confused word Word nuance 2. Describe the difference between related words 3. Positive and negative connotation

Score range: 400-490
Grammar and mechanics		Sentence structure 1. Is it a complete sentence or a fragment? 2. Is it a complete sentence or a run-on? Punctuation 3. Commas with series, dates, and places 4. Commas with compound and complex sentences Verbs 5. Use the correct verb – with compound subjects 6. Correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense Pronouns 7. Use relative pronouns: who and whom 8. Use relative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, and that 9. Identify vague pronoun references Adverbs 10. Use relative adverbs Possessives 11. Identify and correct errors with plural and possessive nouns
Grammar and mechanics
Sentence structure 1. Is it a complete sentence or a fragment? 2. Is it a complete sentence or a run-on? Punctuation 3. Commas with series, dates, and places 4. Commas with compound and complex sentences Verbs 5. Use the correct verb – with compound subjects 6. Correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense Pronouns 7. Use relative pronouns: who and whom 8. Use relative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, and that 9. Identify vague pronoun references Adverbs 10. Use relative adverbs Possessives 11. Identify and correct errors with plural and possessive nouns

Organization and development		Organizing information 1. Order topics from broadest to narrowest 2. Organize information by main idea Developing and supporting arguments 3. Choose evidence to support a claim
Organization and development
Organizing information 1. Order topics from broadest to narrowest 2. Organize information by main idea Developing and supporting arguments 3. Choose evidence to support a claim

Language and word choice		Commonly confused words 1. Correct errors with frequently confused words Word nuance 2. Describe the difference between related words 3. Positive and negative connotation
Language and word choice
Commonly confused words 1. Correct errors with frequently confused words Word nuance 2. Describe the difference between related words 3. Positive and negative connotation

Score range: 500-590
Grammar and mechanics		Sentence structure 1. Is it a complete sentence, a fragment, or a run-on? Punctuation 2. Commas with nonrestrictive elements 3. Commas: review Verbs 4. Identify and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense 5. Form the progressive verb tenses 6. Correct errors with subject-verb agreement Pronouns 7. Use relative pronouns: who and whom 8. Use relative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, and that 9. Identify all of the possible antecedents 10. Correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person Modifiers 11. Misplaced modifiers with pictures Adjectives and adverbs 12. Form and use comparative and superlative adjectives 13. Form and use comparative and superlative adverbs Possessives 14. Identify and correct errors with plural and possessive nouns
Grammar and mechanics
Sentence structure 1. Is it a complete sentence, a fragment, or a run-on? Punctuation 2. Commas with nonrestrictive elements 3. Commas: review Verbs 4. Identify and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense 5. Form the progressive verb tenses 6. Correct errors with subject-verb agreement Pronouns 7. Use relative pronouns: who and whom 8. Use relative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, and that 9. Identify all of the possible antecedents 10. Correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person Modifiers 11. Misplaced modifiers with pictures Adjectives and adverbs 12. Form and use comparative and superlative adjectives 13. Form and use comparative and superlative adverbs Possessives 14. Identify and correct errors with plural and possessive nouns

Organization and development		Redundancy 1. Remove redundant words or phrases Transitions 2. Transitions with conjunctive adverbs
Organization and development
Redundancy 1. Remove redundant words or phrases Transitions 2. Transitions with conjunctive adverbs

Language and word choice		Word nuance 1. Describe the difference between related words
Language and word choice
Word nuance 1. Describe the difference between related words

Score range: 600-690
Grammar and mechanics		Sentence structure 1. Identify sentence fragments 2. Identify run-on sentences 3. Choose punctuation to avoid fragments and run-ons 4. Combine sentences using relative clauses 5. Identify sentences with parallel structure Punctuation 6. Commas with nonrestrictive elements 7. Commas with direct addresses, introductory words, interjections, interrupters, and antithetical phrases 8. Commas with series, dates, and places 9. Commas with compound and complex sentences 10. Use dashes Verbs 11. Identify and correct errors with subject-verb agreement 12. Identify and correct errors with indefinite pronoun-verb agreement 13. Identify and correct verb agreement with compound subjects Pronouns 14. Identify and correct errors with subject and object pronouns 15. Identify vague pronoun references 16. Correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person Modifiers 17. Select the misplaced or dangling modifier Adjectives and adverbs 18. Choose between adjectives and adverbs 19. Good, better, best, bad, worse, and worst 20. Well, better, best, badly, worse, and worst Possessives 21. Identify and correct errors with plural and possessive nouns
Grammar and mechanics
Sentence structure 1. Identify sentence fragments 2. Identify run-on sentences 3. Choose punctuation to avoid fragments and run-ons 4. Combine sentences using relative clauses 5. Identify sentences with parallel structure Punctuation 6. Commas with nonrestrictive elements 7. Commas with direct addresses, introductory words, interjections, interrupters, and antithetical phrases 8. Commas with series, dates, and places 9. Commas with compound and complex sentences 10. Use dashes Verbs 11. Identify and correct errors with subject-verb agreement 12. Identify and correct errors with indefinite pronoun-verb agreement 13. Identify and correct verb agreement with compound subjects Pronouns 14. Identify and correct errors with subject and object pronouns 15. Identify vague pronoun references 16. Correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person Modifiers 17. Select the misplaced or dangling modifier Adjectives and adverbs 18. Choose between adjectives and adverbs 19. Good, better, best, bad, worse, and worst 20. Well, better, best, badly, worse, and worst Possessives 21. Identify and correct errors with plural and possessive nouns

Organization and development		Introductions 1. Identify thesis statements Organizing information 2. Organize information by main idea Developing and supporting arguments 3. Identify stronger and weaker evidence to support a claim Revisions 4. Suggest appropriate revisions
Organization and development
Introductions 1. Identify thesis statements Organizing information 2. Organize information by main idea Developing and supporting arguments 3. Identify stronger and weaker evidence to support a claim Revisions 4. Suggest appropriate revisions

Language and word choice		Commonly confused words 1. Use the correct frequently confused word Word usage 2. Use words accurately and precisely
Language and word choice
Commonly confused words 1. Use the correct frequently confused word Word usage 2. Use words accurately and precisely

Score range: 700+
Grammar and mechanics		Sentence structure 1. Use parallel structure Punctuation 2. Commas: review 3. Join sentences with semicolons, colons, and commas 4. Use colons and commas to introduce lists, quotations, and appositives 5. Use semicolons and commas to separate items in a series 6. Semicolons, colons, and commas: review Verbs 7. Form the perfect verb tenses 8. Identify and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense Pronouns 9. Subject and object pronouns review 10. Pronouns after "than" and "as" 11. Identify and correct pronoun errors with "who" 12. Use relative pronouns: who and whom 13. Use relative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, and that 14. Identify all of the possible antecedents Modifiers 15. Are the modifiers used correctly? Comparisons 16. Avoid double, illogical, and unclear comparisons Possessives 17. Identify and correct errors with compound and joint possession
Grammar and mechanics
Sentence structure 1. Use parallel structure Punctuation 2. Commas: review 3. Join sentences with semicolons, colons, and commas 4. Use colons and commas to introduce lists, quotations, and appositives 5. Use semicolons and commas to separate items in a series 6. Semicolons, colons, and commas: review Verbs 7. Form the perfect verb tenses 8. Identify and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense Pronouns 9. Subject and object pronouns review 10. Pronouns after "than" and "as" 11. Identify and correct pronoun errors with "who" 12. Use relative pronouns: who and whom 13. Use relative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, and that 14. Identify all of the possible antecedents Modifiers 15. Are the modifiers used correctly? Comparisons 16. Avoid double, illogical, and unclear comparisons Possessives 17. Identify and correct errors with compound and joint possession

Organization and development		Introductions 1. Choose the topic sentence that best captures the main idea Transitions 2. Transitions with conjunctive adverbs 3. Transition logically between claims, evidence, analysis, and counterclaims Organizing information 4. Order topics from broadest to narrowest Developing and supporting arguments 5. Choose the best evidence to support a claim Revision 6. Suggest appropriate revisions
Organization and development
Introductions 1. Choose the topic sentence that best captures the main idea Transitions 2. Transitions with conjunctive adverbs 3. Transition logically between claims, evidence, analysis, and counterclaims Organizing information 4. Order topics from broadest to narrowest Developing and supporting arguments 5. Choose the best evidence to support a claim Revision 6. Suggest appropriate revisions

Language and word choice		Commonly confused words 1. Identify and correct errors with frequently confused words 2. Identify and correct errors with frequently confused pronouns and contractions 3. Correct errors with commonly misspelled words Word nuance 4. Describe the difference between related words 5. Choose the word whose connotation and denotation best match the sentence
Language and word choice
Commonly confused words 1. Identify and correct errors with frequently confused words 2. Identify and correct errors with frequently confused pronouns and contractions 3. Correct errors with commonly misspelled words Word nuance 4. Describe the difference between related words 5. Choose the word whose connotation and denotation best match the sentence

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