ICLA CERTIFICATION EXAM QUESTIONS
AND VERIFIED ANSWERS 2026
▶ Writing Process. Answer: order of steps in creating a piece of writing:
prewriting, writing/drafting, revising, editing, publishing
▶ Prewriting. Answer: First step in the writing process; the writer
generates ideas
▶ Drafting. Answer: To draw the outlines or plan of; sketch; emphasize
content rather than mechanics
▶ Revising. Answer: 3rd stage of the writing process- refining/changing
ideas or concepts in the text.
▶ Editing. Answer: the writing stage in which you polish your writing, fixing
errors in grammar, spelling, and mechanics
▶ Publishing. Answer: 5th stage of the writing process- making the text
ready to share with an audience.
▶ Rubric. Answer: rating scales that express criteria for assessing essay
or portfolio content
▶ Journaling. Answer: The process of writing out thoughts and emotions
on a regular basis. Writing without worrying about format or research. This
helps with writing fluency.
▶ Narrative writing. Answer: Writing that tells a story by describing an
experience, event or sequence of events.
▶ Expository writing. Answer: writing that explains or informs
▶ Persuasive writing. Answer: writing that attempts to convince the reader
or listener to adopt a particular opinion or course of action
, ▶ Descriptive writing. Answer: writing that paints a picture of a person,
place, thing, or idea using details related to the five senses
▶ Argumentative Writing. Answer: Writing that supports a position on or a
claim about a particular topic through the use of logic, reasons, and
evidence, often acknowledging and/or developing a counterclaim. It may
have many purposes: to change the reader's point of view, to establish a
call to action, or to get the reader to accept the writer's position or claim. It
is a reasoned, logical way of showing that the writer's position is valid.
▶ Writing Workshop. Answer: A framework or model for teaching writing
that includes a mini-lesson designed to improve specific skills, a writing
time when students are engaged in authentic writing, a conference time
when students meet with the teacher individually and a sharing time when
students read or listen to the sharing of a student's written selection
▶ Guided Writing. Answer: An instructional framework in which teachers
guide students as they write. Students are taught writing strategies in small
groups in which all members are at the same stage of writing development.
▶ Scaffolding. Answer: Adjusting the support offered during a teaching
session to fit the child's current level of performance
▶ Formative Assessment. Answer: Assessment used throughout teaching
of a lesson and/or unit to gauge students' understanding and inform and
guide teaching
▶ Summative Assessment. Answer: evaluation of student learning at the
end of an instructional unit
▶ Six-Trait Writing. Answer: An approach for developing writing skills that
looks at six (plus one; presentation) different aspects of writing to help
children understand and develop writing kills beyond simple mechanics.
The six traits are: content, organization, voice, word choice, sentence
fluency, and conventions.
▶ Content. Answer: Also known as ideas, this is the main message of
writing; Develop a single topic to convey a clear message. The quality of
having something to say and saying it clearly to the reader. This includes
researching a topic, having an original point of view, and providing details.
AND VERIFIED ANSWERS 2026
▶ Writing Process. Answer: order of steps in creating a piece of writing:
prewriting, writing/drafting, revising, editing, publishing
▶ Prewriting. Answer: First step in the writing process; the writer
generates ideas
▶ Drafting. Answer: To draw the outlines or plan of; sketch; emphasize
content rather than mechanics
▶ Revising. Answer: 3rd stage of the writing process- refining/changing
ideas or concepts in the text.
▶ Editing. Answer: the writing stage in which you polish your writing, fixing
errors in grammar, spelling, and mechanics
▶ Publishing. Answer: 5th stage of the writing process- making the text
ready to share with an audience.
▶ Rubric. Answer: rating scales that express criteria for assessing essay
or portfolio content
▶ Journaling. Answer: The process of writing out thoughts and emotions
on a regular basis. Writing without worrying about format or research. This
helps with writing fluency.
▶ Narrative writing. Answer: Writing that tells a story by describing an
experience, event or sequence of events.
▶ Expository writing. Answer: writing that explains or informs
▶ Persuasive writing. Answer: writing that attempts to convince the reader
or listener to adopt a particular opinion or course of action
, ▶ Descriptive writing. Answer: writing that paints a picture of a person,
place, thing, or idea using details related to the five senses
▶ Argumentative Writing. Answer: Writing that supports a position on or a
claim about a particular topic through the use of logic, reasons, and
evidence, often acknowledging and/or developing a counterclaim. It may
have many purposes: to change the reader's point of view, to establish a
call to action, or to get the reader to accept the writer's position or claim. It
is a reasoned, logical way of showing that the writer's position is valid.
▶ Writing Workshop. Answer: A framework or model for teaching writing
that includes a mini-lesson designed to improve specific skills, a writing
time when students are engaged in authentic writing, a conference time
when students meet with the teacher individually and a sharing time when
students read or listen to the sharing of a student's written selection
▶ Guided Writing. Answer: An instructional framework in which teachers
guide students as they write. Students are taught writing strategies in small
groups in which all members are at the same stage of writing development.
▶ Scaffolding. Answer: Adjusting the support offered during a teaching
session to fit the child's current level of performance
▶ Formative Assessment. Answer: Assessment used throughout teaching
of a lesson and/or unit to gauge students' understanding and inform and
guide teaching
▶ Summative Assessment. Answer: evaluation of student learning at the
end of an instructional unit
▶ Six-Trait Writing. Answer: An approach for developing writing skills that
looks at six (plus one; presentation) different aspects of writing to help
children understand and develop writing kills beyond simple mechanics.
The six traits are: content, organization, voice, word choice, sentence
fluency, and conventions.
▶ Content. Answer: Also known as ideas, this is the main message of
writing; Develop a single topic to convey a clear message. The quality of
having something to say and saying it clearly to the reader. This includes
researching a topic, having an original point of view, and providing details.
