The OSSLT for students outside Ontario and at online schools

Who this is for

Three groups of students work toward the Ontario Secondary School Diploma without sitting in an Ontario classroom: students taking courses online through an inspected Ontario private school, students at schools outside Canada that hold an agreement with the Ministry of Education to grant OSSD credits, and students who have moved to Ontario from another province or country. The literacy requirement applies to all of them, and the OSSLT is an online test that has to be administered in person. The Ministry set out how that works in a memorandum to principals of inspected private schools on December 13, 2024.

Students living in Ontario at an online private school

Students who live in Ontario and take their courses online through an inspected Ontario private school must take the OSSLT. The school arranges it in one of two ways: students write it on site at the online school, if it has the facilities and the student lives near enough, or they write it as a guest at another inspected Ontario private school or a public school. Either way the test is written in person, under supervision, in the same fall or spring window as everyone else. OSSLT dates has the windows.

Students living outside Ontario

The same memorandum says that students who reside outside Ontario may enrol directly in the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course, the OSSLC, to meet the literacy graduation requirement, without attempting the OSSLT first. For every other student the rule is the other way around: the test comes first and the course is available after attempting it. OSSLT vs OSSLC compares the two routes and the course is described in the OLC4O guide.

Schools outside Canada that hold a Ministry agreement to grant OSSD credits, of which the Ontario government lists nineteen, still administer the OSSLT in person for students who write it, following EQAO's user guide for private schools.

Students new to Ontario

Students who enter Grade 10 from another province or country are expected to write the OSSLT with their year group, unless the principal grants a deferral. A deferral moves the first attempt to the following year and is the usual step for a student who is still learning English. The OSSLT for English language learners covers when a deferral makes sense and how to prepare, and Is the OSSLT mandatory covers deferrals and exemptions in general.

Which route to take

Students who can write the test usually should. A successful OSSLT result meets the requirement in one sitting, and the test measures reading and writing skills a student at an OSSD school is already using in every course. The course is a full credit course that takes a term. The sensible plan at an online or international school is to prepare for the test over four to five months, write it in the fall or spring window, and keep the course as the fallback the Ministry allows.

Preparing from anywhere

Everything a student needs to prepare is online. EQAO's free practice test runs on the same platform as the real test, including the introductory session for the tools. The free Litguide practice test explains every answer, the printable practice pack works on paper, and the free essay grader marks an opinion essay against the OSSLT rubrics in seconds, which matters most for students writing in English as an additional language. Schools that want marked practice for a whole cohort can talk to Litguide.

Litguide is an independent practice platform and is not affiliated with EQAO or the Ministry of Education.