Find out your OSSLT essay code
in seconds, free
Write your opinion below. This OSSLT essay grader marks it on the two rubrics EQAO uses, shows you where you stand, and tells you exactly what it takes to reach the next code.
- Free, no sign-up
- Marked in about 10 seconds
- Built on EQAO’s published rubrics
Should high schools start the school day later? Write a series of paragraphs that states your opinion and supports it with reasons and specific details.
Your writing is sent to an AI service only to be marked, and Litguide doesn’t save it. Leave out your name. Five a day.
Every code, from 10 to 60
Trained Ontario teachers give the opinion essay two codes. Topic development looks at your opinion, your details and your organization. Conventions looks at spelling, grammar and punctuation.
Topic development
- 60Level 4 · High degree. A clear, consistent opinion, supported with specific details that are thoughtfully chosen, organized so the ideas build.
- 50Level 4 · High degree. A clear, consistent opinion with enough specific details, organized logically.
- 40Level 3 · Considerable. A clear, consistent opinion with enough details, but only some are specific. The organization is mechanical.
- 30Level 2 · Some. A clear opinion, but details are too few or vague, or not clearly tied to it. Lapses in organization distract.
- 20Level 1 · Limited. Only part of the essay supports an opinion, or the opinion is unclear or changes. Details are too few or repeated.
- 10Level 1 · Limited. Related to the prompt but no opinion, or an opinion with no supporting details.
Conventions
- 40Level 4 · High degree. Control of spelling, grammar and punctuation is evident.
- 30Level 3 · Considerable. Errors do not distract from communication.
- 20Level 2 · Some. Errors distract from communication.
- 10Level 1 · Limited. Errors interfere with communication, or the response is under 30 words.
Plain-language summaries of EQAO’s generic opinion essay rubrics. The levels match the OSSLT marking guide. The full wording is in the OSSLT framework.
What it takes to get a 60
- State one clear opinion in your first sentence and never switch sides.
- Back every reason with a specific detail a reader can picture: a time, a place, a person, a number.
- Give each reason its own paragraph and link it back to your opinion.
- Order your ideas so they build, and close with a fresh final thought.
- Reread once for errors that would distract a reader.
How does the grader mark your essay?
It reads your essay against EQAO’s two generic opinion essay rubrics from the OSSLT framework, the criteria trained Ontario teachers use: whether you state a clear opinion and support it with specific details in an organized way, and whether your spelling, grammar and punctuation get in the way.
It gives one code for each rubric, a short explanation, feedback on every paragraph and your biggest fix. Like the real test, it treats your essay as a first draft.
Why don’t you get a 200 to 400 score?
The OSSLT reports one scale score for the whole test, worked out from all 37 questions with a statistical method called Item Response Theory. A single essay can’t predict it, so this grader gives the two essay codes only and never says whether you would pass.
OSSLT essay grader questions
Is there a free OSSLT essay checker?
Yes. This OSSLT essay grader is free and needs no account. Write an opinion essay, and it gives you a topic development code, a conventions code and feedback on every paragraph.
Is this an official EQAO score?
No. It is an estimate for practice, made by applying EQAO’s published rubrics. A trained scorer may code your essay differently, and Litguide is not affiliated with EQAO.
What is a good code on the OSSLT opinion essay?
The top codes are 60 for topic development and 40 for conventions. A 40 in topic development means a clear opinion with enough details, only some of them specific. Specific, well-organized details are what move an essay to 50 and 60.
How is the OSSLT essay scored?
Trained Ontario teachers give two codes: topic development from 10 to 60 and conventions from 10 to 40. The essay is worth about a quarter of the test’s raw score points.
Is my essay saved?
No. Your essay is sent to an AI service only to be marked, and Litguide does not save it. Please leave out your name and any personal details.
How long should my essay be?
EQAO doesn’t set a word count, but it asks for a series of paragraphs. Under 30 words can only receive the lowest conventions code. An opening, two or three reason paragraphs and a closing works well. The grader accepts up to 900 words.
How many essays can I mark?
Five a day here, free. Litguide for students marks every essay you write, with lessons on each skill.
Can teachers use the grader with a class?
It is built for one student at a time. For a class, Litguide’s platform marks every student’s writing and gives the teacher a view of the whole class.
- How to write the OSSLT opinion essayWhat the task asks, both rubrics, a paragraph plan, an annotated sample and practice topics
- Free OSSLT practice testA news report, seven reading questions and an opinion essay prompt, with every answer explained
- OSSLT marking guideEQAO’s scoring codes and how the 200 to 400 scale works
- What your OSSLT score meansThe 200 to 400 scale, the 300 pass mark, the student report and when results arrive
- OSSLT dates for 2026–27Fall and spring test windows, session times and when results arrive
- What is the OSSLT?The OSSLT explained: who writes it, what’s on it and how it’s scored
