Timed in-class writing is a useful way to assess what students can do independently, and a short story from a collection like Michel Tremblay's Bonbons Assortis is an ideal prompt. Students read or recall the story and write a focused response in thirty to forty minutes. The challenge for teachers is scoring dozens of rushed drafts without penalizing students for the limits of the time constraint.

Adjust your expectations to the format. A timed response will not show the polish of a take-home essay, so a rubric that rewards depth of thought over perfect organization makes more sense. Graders should reward evidence of a clear argument and meaningful use of the text even when the writing is rough.

A short rubric with four rows is usually enough. Focus on the thesis, the use of evidence, the quality of explanation, and basic clarity of language. Fewer criteria mean faster scoring and make it easier to explain results to students.

Prompts That Produce Gradable Responses

A well-framed prompt gives students a manageable task and gives you comparable papers. Prompts that ask for a claim about one aspect of the story, such as how the narrator's tone shifts, work better than open-ended requests to discuss the story. Specific prompts also reduce the amount of off-topic writing you have to sift through.

• Provide a focused question tied to a skill taught in class
• Allow students to bring a short list of notes or annotations
• Give a clear time limit and a suggested length
• Share the rubric before the writing session
• Remind students to plan briefly before they begin writing

A Fast Reading Method

Read the opening and closing sentences first to understand the student's position, then skim the middle for evidence and explanation. Mark each rubric row as you go instead of waiting until the end. This approach lets you form a reliable judgment in a few minutes per paper.

Limit written comments to two items: one strength and one priority for improvement. Students rarely absorb more than that from a quickly graded response. Keeping comments short also helps you return papers within a day or two, when the writing is still fresh in the students' minds.

Being Fair to Different Writers

Time pressure affects students differently. Those who write slowly, who are working in a second language, or who have documented accommodations may produce shorter responses that nonetheless show strong thinking. Apply accommodations as required and focus scoring on the quality of ideas, not the quantity of words.

Consider allowing a brief reflection or correction period after writing ends. Students can note what they would add or revise given more time. This gives you a sense of their understanding and gives them a chance to demonstrate skills they could not fully show under the clock.

Using Results to Guide Instruction

Timed responses are a valuable diagnostic tool. Review the class results for patterns, such as many students summarizing instead of analyzing, and plan a lesson to address them. This turns a quick assessment into a teaching opportunity.

Tools that apply a rubric to handwritten or typed responses can help you see patterns across the class faster. Combined with your own judgment, they make it easier to identify which skills need more practice. The goal is to use assessment data to improve teaching, not just to assign scores.