COMPUTER PROGRAMS PASS JUDGMENT ON STUDENTS’ WRITING - IELTS Reading Answers & Explanations
From Expert on Cambridge IELTS 10 Academic Reading Test 3 · Part 2 · Questions 14–26
Reading Passage
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26 which are based on READING PASSAGE 2 below.
COMPUTER PROGRAMS PASS JUDGMENT ON STUDENTS' WRITING
A The Educational Testing Service, which designs and grades the GMAT and other widely used standardized tests, said its e-rater program comes within one point of a human grader 98 percent of the time, using the six-point scale that is now a common approach to grading essays on standardized tests. If there is a difference of more than one point between the scores of the computer and a human evaluator, the essay is read by another person and the three scores are averaged. ETS, which began using e-rater to grade the test two years ago, has cut its GMAT costs by US $1.7 million a year because graders now have to read fewer essays. The organization can also return scores to test takers in ten days, instead of four weeks it used to take.
B But Sam Graziano, who took the GMAT last month, wasn't thrilled to learn that a computer would evaluate his writing, and thereby help decide whether he is admitted to a top business school. "I'm a computer science major, and it's kind of hard for me to understand an algorithm that could grade an essay," said Graziano. "At this time, I wouldn't really trust it."
C Another essay-grading program, called IntelliMetric, is muscling its way into the standardized testing industry. And Accuplacer is a new program that decides the appropriate course level for incoming college students. The programs take different approaches to their task. But they all use a database of essays that have been graded by humans. The programs are smart enough, according to their inventors, to recognize what characteristics correspond to higher scores.
D ETS's e-rater focuses mostly on how an essay is written, not its meaning. For example, it looks for cue words – such as "however," "because," and "therefore that are key to framing an argument. It also looks for variety in the arrangement of phrases, clauses, and sentences. And to recognize whether an essay is on topic, it looks for certain words based on the previously graded essays in its database. The Intelligent Essay Assessor is geared more toward the content of a composition. The program is primed by feeding it a batch of essays already graded by humans, or text that serves as the basis for the essays, such as a history or science book. The program analyzes the relationships between the words, looking for patterns. It recognizes how the words fit together-for example, it recognizes that "the doctor operated on the patient" is similar to "the surgeon wielded the scalpel." In that way, its creators say, the Intelligent Essay Assessor comes to understand the words. It can then compare that meaning with the essays to be graded.
E "It isn't as simple as looking at which words occur together," said Thomas Landauer, a University of Colorado professor who has done research on the technology. "It's a much deeper process than that." The Intelligent Essay Assessor, Landauer said, is best at evaluating answers in fact-filled subjects, such as science and history. The program can look at a student's essay and decide what points are missing. A study that compared essays written under the program's tutelage with those written without such help concluded that the computer-aided essays were consistently better.
F The programs do have their limits. They can't deal with creativity, such as metaphors or unconventional writing styles. If confronted by quirks, the computer is supposed to alert its handlers that the essay is unusual and needs to be read by a human. The e-rater also can be fooled. For example, if the word "therefore" is one of the words it's looking for, it will probably give the writer credit for using it even if it's the first word in the essay, said Marisa Famum, a writing assessment specialist at ETS. A teacher, on the other hand, might consider such a use of "therefore" completely inappropriate and penalize the student for it. Some professors, such as William Dowling at Rutgers, think the programs will be unable to process students' more complex and original writing. Dennis Baron, the head of the English department at the University of Illinois in Urbana, has the opposite fear: It won't be able to get past a student's weaknesses.
Questions
Questions 14–19 Matching Information
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Questions 20–26 True / False / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the information given in READING PASSAGE 2?
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q14 | F | The programs do have their limits. They can't deal with creativity, such as metaphors or unconventional writing styles | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage states that these computer tools have limitations because they cannot properly understand creative ideas or unusual ways of writing. Answer Explanation: The answer means that Paragraph F discusses the limits and weaknesses of the computer programs used to grade essays. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is F because this paragraph explains what the programs cannot do. The question uses the word "restrictions," which has the same meaning as "limits" in the passage. Paragraph F clearly states that the programs have limits, explains that they cannot understand creative writing or metaphors, and shows how they can be tricked by certain words. |
| Q15 | B | "I'm a computer science major, and it's kind of hard for me to understand an algorithm that could grade an essay," said Graziano. "At this time, I wouldn't really trust it." | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage shows a student saying that he does not believe a computer program can grade essays well, and he plainly says he does not trust it right now. Answer Explanation: The answer means that Paragraph B contains the detail where someone says they do not trust or believe in this new computer grading system. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because this paragraph shares the opinion of a test taker named Sam Graziano. He states that he does not understand how a computer formula could properly grade an essay and admits, "At this time, I wouldn't really trust it." The words "wouldn't really trust it" express doubt about the new automated grading technology. |
| Q16 | E | The Intelligent Essay Assessor, Landauer said, is best at evaluating answers in fact-filled subjects, such as science and history | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that this computer tool works best when grading topics that have a lot of factual information, like science and history. Answer Explanation: The answer 'E' means that paragraph E mentions how well the computer program works when grading writing in subjects that contain many facts. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is E because paragraph E clearly explains that the Intelligent Essay Assessor works best when judging subjects with lots of facts. In the text, the phrase "best at evaluating answers" matches "its effectiveness in assessing", and "fact-filled subjects, such as science and history" corresponds directly to "fact-filled disciplines". |
| Q17 | D | ETS's e-rater focuses mostly on how an essay is written, not its meaning. For example, it looks for cue words – such as "however," "because," and "therefore that are key to framing an argument. It also looks for variety in the arrangement of phrases, clauses, and sentences | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that the computer tool evaluates an essay by checking the writing structure, searching for specific connecting words, and looking at how sentences are built. Answer Explanation: The answer, paragraph D, tells us the exact details of how computer software grades student writing. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is D because this paragraph explains the exact methods and features that computer software uses to evaluate compositions. It gives clear examples of what the programs check for: the "e-rater" program checks how an essay is formed by searching for "cue words" (like "however" and "because") and sentence variety, while the "Intelligent Essay Assessor" analyzes the connections and relationships between words to evaluate the essay's meaning. Keywords like "specifically rated" correspond to the detailed explanation of how these electronic programs evaluate and score writing. |
| Q18 | A | The organization can also return scores to test takers in ten days, instead of four weeks it used to take | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that the testing company can now give students their test results in just 10 days, compared to the four weeks it previously required. Answer Explanation: The answer "A" means that paragraph A contains information about test scores being sent back to students much faster than before. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because paragraph A mentions that students now receive their exam results much more quickly. In the paragraph, the phrase "return scores to test takers" matches "Results are delivered", and the phrase "in ten days, instead of four weeks it used to take" matches "in shorter periods". |
| Q19 | C | But they all use a database of essays that have been graded by humans | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that every one of these grading programs uses the same kind of resource: a collection (database) of essays that human teachers have already scored. Answer Explanation: The answer C means that paragraph C mentions a shared tool or material that all the computer grading programs rely on. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because paragraph C discusses different grading programs and points out something they all share. The text states, "they all use a database of essays that have been graded by humans." Here, "they all" refers to "all the grading programs," and "a database of essays" represents the "common resource." |
| Q20 | TRUE | ETS, which began using e-rater to grade the test two years ago, has cut its GMAT costs by US $1.7 million a year because graders now have to read fewer essays | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that using the e-rater system saved ETS 1.7 million US dollars each year because human scorers do not need to read as many essays. Answer Explanation: The answer "TRUE" means that the passage agrees that the e-rater software lowers the amount of money spent on scoring essays every year. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is TRUE because Paragraph A clearly states that ETS has lowered its expenses by US $1.7 million every year since it started using the e-rater to score test essays. In this context, "has cut its GMAT costs by US $1.7 million a year" matches the idea of "reduce costs spent on grading essays each year." |
| Q21 | FALSE | The programs take different approaches to their task | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage clearly states that the computer programs use different ways (approaches) to do their job of grading essays. Answer Explanation: The answer is FALSE because the statement is incorrect. The essay-grading programs do not use identical methods to grade essays; they actually use different methods. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is FALSE because the passage explicitly says that the programs use different methods. In Paragraph C, it states that "The programs take different approaches to their task." Furthermore, Paragraph D explains that e-rater focuses on structure and style, while the Intelligent Essay Assessor focuses on meaning and content. Therefore, they are not "identical" (the same). Key synonyms and contrasts to notice are "identical" versus "different", and "methods" versus "approaches". |
| Q22 | NOT GIVEN | But Sam Graziano, who took the GMAT last month, wasn't thrilled to learn that a computer would evaluate his writing, and thereby help decide whether he is admitted to a top business school | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage shows that computer evaluation can influence admission to a top business school, but it never mentions whether most universities in America accept these computer-graded scores. Answer Explanation: The answer "NOT GIVEN" means that the passage does not provide enough information to know if the statement is true or false. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is NOT GIVEN because the passage never mentions whether "most American universities" accept the scores produced by these computer grading programs. The text mentions that computer grading helps decide whether a student is admitted to a top business school and that another program helps place incoming college students, but it does not state anything about how many or what proportion of American universities accept these scores. |
| Q23 | TRUE | ETS's e-rater focuses mostly on how an essay is written, not its meaning | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that the computer program e-rater mainly checks the writing style and structure of a student's essay rather than the ideas or message it expresses. Answer Explanation: The answer "TRUE" means that the statement accurately reflects the facts mentioned in the reading passage. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is TRUE because Paragraph D specifically states that the e-rater program puts most of its attention on structure and style rather than message. In the passage, "how an essay is written" corresponds to "The way an essay is prepared", "focuses mostly on" corresponds to "is more emphasized", and "not its meaning" corresponds to "than the information it conveys." |
| Q24 | NOT GIVEN | For example, it looks for cue words – such as "however," "because," and "therefore that are key to framing an argument | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage states that the computer checks for connecting words like "however" and "because" because they help build a point, but it does not claim that these words are the main focus of modern essay writing. Answer Explanation: The answer "NOT GIVEN" means that the passage does not tell us whether cue words are the most important part (the centre) of modern essay writing. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is NOT GIVEN because the passage only mentions "cue words" to explain how the computer program (e-rater) checks essays. The text states that these words are important for structuring an argument ("framing an argument"), but it never mentions whether they are the "centre of modern essay writing". Because this specific claim cannot be confirmed or denied by the text, the answer is NOT GIVEN. |
| Q25 | TRUE | The Intelligent Essay Assessor, Landauer said, is best at evaluating answers in fact-filled subjects, such as science and history | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that the grading program works best when checking answers in subjects that are full of facts, like science and history. Answer Explanation: The answer "TRUE" means that the statement correctly matches the facts given in the text. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is TRUE because Paragraph E explicitly notes that the software works best when scoring topics based on factual knowledge. In the passage, Professor Thomas Landauer states that the program is "best at evaluating answers in fact-filled subjects, such as science and history." Here, the phrase "fact-filled subjects" matches "Subjects dealing with facts," and "is best at" corresponds directly to being "the most appropriate areas." |
| Q26 | FALSE | The e-rater also can be fooled. For example, if the word "therefore" is one of the words it's looking for, it will probably give the writer credit for using it even if it's the first word in the essay, said Marisa Famum, a writing assessment specialist at ETS. A teacher, on the other hand, might consider such a use of "therefore" completely inappropriate and penalize the student for it | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that computer graders can make mistakes and be tricked. For instance, the computer might give points to a student for using a word incorrectly, even though a human teacher would subtract points for that same mistake. Answer Explanation: The answer FALSE means the statement is incorrect according to the text. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is FALSE because essay-grading computer programs are not perfect and do not punish all mistakes. The passage states that the programs have limits and that the e-rater "can be fooled." In fact, instead of penalizing a student for misusing a word, the computer might actually award points ("give the writer credit"), whereas a human teacher would "penalize the student for it." |