Resources

Text Type Characterisation Tool

Variation in student writing

The Text Type Characterisation Tool (TTCT) describes a set of items designed to capture how student writing varies across different subjects and educational stages. The tool is divided into six sections, focussing on several key aspects of writing:

• What the writing is doing. For example, does it describe, advise, or narrate? We aim to cover the range of communicative functions found in non-literary writing (e.g. essays, reports), rather than creative writing like stories or poems.
• What the writing is about. Instead of trying to list all possible topics, we identify distinctive types of content commonly found. We assume that most academic writing is about general or subject-specific topics, so the items in this section aim to capture texts that differ from this.
• The sources a text draws on. For example, whether the text draws on research data or external texts.
• The format or medium. For example, a letter or a diary entry, when the format differs from a standard academic text.
• Who the writing is for. This covers the participants implied in a text and the relationships between them, including the level or formality and whether the tone is personal or professional. We assume typical student-teacher or general academic audience is the default and aim to capture cases that differ from this.

How we developed the items

In developing the items in the TTCT, we aimed to ensure that they are:

• easy to understand (and understood similarly by different people)
• relevant across subjects and educational stages (e.g. key stage 2 through to undergraduate writing, applicable across a range of disciplines)
• used in meaningful ways (not always present or always absent)
• comprehensive, capturing as many differences in writing as possible
• concise, using only as many items as necessary

Our tool and list of items draws on academic research, exam board guidance, and dictionary definitions. Some familiar terms (such as argue, analyse or explain) are not included directly. This is because research and our own testing show that people often interpret these terms in very different ways. Instead, we aim to use clearer, more specific descriptions. For example:

• “States a position or conclusion” and “supports it with evidence or examples” capture key aspects of argue
• “Gives reasons” or “shows how to do something” capture aspects of explain

This approach helps make the items more transparent and easier to apply consistently.

What the tool does (and doesn’t) cover

The tool is designed for use with non-literary academic writing. It is not currently intended to be applied to other literary forms of writing, such as stories, poems, or plays. This is because creative writing forms are likely to require a different and more complex set of items, and they are less common at higher levels of education (especially outside of subjects like English).

Using the tool

The tool has six sections:

• Functions
• Focus
• Sources
• Extra-textual content
• Medium
• Participants

Texts are scored against the items in each section. Function items are scored on a three-point scale of 0-2. The items in the remaining five sections are scored on a two-point scale of 0-1. At least one item in the Functions section must receive a score other than 0. For other sections, all items can be scored as ‘no’, if appropriate.  Many items overlap and are likely to co-occur.

Notes on the scoring for each section can be found in the table below:

Functions	0 = not present or does not form a substantial part of the text.  1 = substantially present. Forms a substantial part of the overall text but is not a primary function of the text as a whole.  2 = centrally present. One of the main functions of the text (a text can have more than one central function).
Focus	0 = not part of the content or does not form a substantial part of the text.  1 = substantial part of the content or a central focus of the text.
Sources	0 = not present  1 = present
Extra-textual content	0 = not present  1 = present
Medium	0 = not this medium  1 = this medium
Participants	0 = does not show this relationship  1 = shows this relationship

View the tool

You can view the tool by scrolling through or downloading the pdf below:

If you would like to find out more about the tool or the project, please contact us at: WTSUproject@exeter.ac.uk