EQAO vs OSSLT: what is the difference?
EQAO is the provincial agency. The OSSLT is one of the four assessments it runs, and the only one a student has to pass to graduate. What each test measures, how each is scored, and whether an earlier EQAO result says anything about the OSSLT.
The short version
EQAO is not a test. The Education Quality and Accountability Office is the arm's-length agency of the Ontario government that develops, administers and reports the province's assessments. The OSSLT, the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test, is one of them. When a teacher says "EQAO is in November", they mean the OSSLT.
The four EQAO assessments
Grade 3, the primary division assessment of reading, writing and mathematics.
Grade 6, the junior division assessment of reading, writing and mathematics.
Grade 9, the assessment of mathematics.
Grade 10, the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test.
The first three measure how well students are meeting the curriculum at the end of a division. They do not count toward a report card mark and nothing hangs on them for the individual student. The OSSLT is different: passing it, or passing the literacy course instead, is one of the requirements for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma. Is the OSSLT mandatory sets out the rules.
What each one measures
The Grade 3 and Grade 6 assessments cover reading, writing and mathematics from the Ontario curriculum for that division. The Grade 9 assessment is mathematics only. The OSSLT is literacy only: reading and writing skills expected across all subjects by the end of Grade 9. It has no mathematics and no subject content to know.
The OSSLT has two online sessions with 37 scored questions: four reading selections with selected-response questions and a short written answer, plus writing questions and an opinion essay. What is the OSSLT walks through it.
How each one is scored
Grade 3, 6 and 9 results are reported as achievement levels, with Level 3 as the provincial standard. The OSSLT reports a scale score from 200 to 400, and 300 or higher is a successful result. There are no levels on the OSSLT and the score is not a percentage. What your OSSLT score means explains the scale.
Does a Grade 6 result predict the OSSLT?
Not in any way that decides anything. A student who found the Grade 6 reading and writing assessment hard has four more years of school before the OSSLT, and the OSSLT measures different, older skills: inference, reading four specific text types, and building an opinion essay with specific support. Students with a weaker Grade 6 result benefit from starting OSSLT practice four to five months before the test window rather than a few weeks before. No earlier EQAO result exempts anyone from the OSSLT, and no earlier result counts against them.
Which one matters for university?
Neither score is used in admissions. Universities and colleges require the Ontario Secondary School Diploma, and the literacy requirement is part of earning it. The transcript shows that the requirement was met; it does not show the OSSLT score, and it never shows Grade 3, 6 or 9 results.
How to prepare for each
For Grade 3, 6 and 9, EQAO publishes sample questions and the school prepares students in class. For the OSSLT, start with EQAO's free practice test on the same platform students write on, then practise the reading selections and the two written answers with feedback. The free Litguide practice test explains every answer, and the free essay grader marks an opinion essay against the OSSLT rubrics. How to prepare for the OSSLT has a four to five month plan.
Common questions
Is the OSSLT the same as EQAO?
No. EQAO is the agency that runs Ontario's provincial assessments. The OSSLT is one of them, the Grade 10 literacy test, and the only one a student needs to pass to graduate.
Is the OSSLT just EQAO for Grade 10?
It is EQAO's Grade 10 assessment, but it differs from the others: it measures literacy only, it reports a 200 to 400 score instead of levels, and passing it, or the literacy course, is a diploma requirement.
Do universities look at EQAO scores?
No. Universities and colleges require the Ontario Secondary School Diploma. The transcript shows that the literacy requirement was met and never shows the OSSLT score or Grade 3, 6 or 9 results.
Which is harder, EQAO in Grade 6 or the OSSLT?
They measure different things at different ages, so the comparison does not hold. In 2025–26, 86% of first-time students were successful on the OSSLT, according to EQAO.
Can a student skip the OSSLT if they did well on earlier EQAO tests?
No. Every student working toward the Ontario Secondary School Diploma writes the OSSLT in their second year of secondary school unless the principal grants a deferral, and the only alternative route is the literacy course after attempting the test.
Get ready for both written answers
Litguide gives students lessons and OSSLT-style reading and writing practice, with every piece of writing marked in seconds against the OSSLT rubrics. Teachers see who needs help before the test window opens. If your school already licenses Litguide, it is free for you.
- What is the OSSLT?The OSSLT explained: who writes it, what’s on it and how it’s scored
- Free OSSLT practice testFour reading selections, 25 questions and an opinion essay prompt, with every answer explained
- OSSLT practice test PDFA free 24-page printable pack with four reading selections, an opinion essay and a full answer key
- OSSLT reading questionsEvery reading question type, how the written answer is marked and practice with answers
- Free OSSLT essay graderWrite an opinion essay and get both rubric codes and paragraph feedback in seconds
