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OSSLT study guide: key rules on all 9 topics

Free OSSLT study guide: 195 key points from the EQAO Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test Framework in plain words, organised by topic, each topic linked to its practice questions.

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  • 9 topics
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This study guide collects our notes on every topic of the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) on one page: 195 short points in our own words, grouped by topic and by handbook section. Read it from top to bottom before your first practice test, or jump to a topic from the list below.

Each topic ends with a link to its practice questions, so you can check what you just read straight away, and a link to the official chapter for the full wording. The notes summarise the EQAO Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test Framework from the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO); they do not replace it, and where our notes and the official source differ, the official source wins.

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OSSLT format, scoring and the OSSLC

Who writes the OSSLT and when, the two online sessions, the 37 scored questions, the 200–400 scale and the 300 standard, how open responses are scored, accommodations and the literacy course route.

Practise OSSLT format, scoring and the OSSLC questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Definition and purpose

  • For the OSSLT, literacy = the reading and writing skills expected across all subjects of the Ontario curriculum up to the end of Grade 9.
  • Passing the OSSLT (or the OSSLC) is one of the requirements for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD).
  • Students first write it in their second year of secondary school (Grade 10); students arriving in Grade 10 from outside Ontario also write it unless the principal defers them.

What is in the OSSLT

  • Computer-based; two sessions, A and B.
  • Session A designed for about 65 minutes; Session B about 75 minutes; each session done in one sitting.
  • Sessions may be back to back with a short break or on two different dates.
  • After both sessions there is a questionnaire about attitudes to literacy (voluntary, not scored).
  • Linear test design: several equivalent fixed-length forms built to the same blueprint.
  • Each form has an operational (scored) part and a field-test part (not scored).
  • Operational part = 37 questions: 35 selected-response + 2 open-response.
  • Selected-response formats: single selection, multiple selection, drag and drop, drop-down menu, checklist.
  • Seven sections across the two sessions.

Questions and points

  • Reading: 23 selected-response + 1 open-response = 24 operational questions.
  • Writing: 12 selected-response + 1 open-response (opinion essay) = 13 operational questions.
  • Field test adds 7 to 9 selected-response and 0 to 1 open-response (7–10 items); they do not count.
  • Raw points: selected-response 55 (71 %), open-response 23 (29 %), total 78.

Blueprint

  • Information paragraph: 6 SR questions = 10 points (≈ 13 %).
  • News report: 5 SR + 1 open-response = 10 points (≈ 13 %).
  • Dialogue: 5 SR = 8 points (≈ 10 %).
  • Real-life narrative: 7 SR = 10 points (≈ 13 %).
  • Reading total 38 points ≈ 49 %.
  • Opinion essay (one long-writing prompt) = 20 points ≈ 25 %.
  • 12 writing SR questions (structuring content, organizing ideas, conventions) = 20 points ≈ 25 %.
  • Writing total 40 points ≈ 51 %.

Scoring and reporting

  • Selected-response questions are machine-scored; open responses are scored by trained educators with rubrics.
  • Reading open response codes: Blank, I (restates prompt, misunderstands, off-topic, illegible), 10 minimal, 20 some (vague), 30 considerable comprehension (accurate, specific, relevant ideas from the selection).
  • Opinion essay is scored twice: topic development (codes 10–60) and conventions (codes 10–40).
  • Conventions code 10 includes a response under 30 words (not counting prompt words).
  • Written work is scored as a first draft; a full revision is not expected.
  • Outcome uses Item Response Theory: responses and question difficulty place the student on a literacy continuum.
  • Individual Student Report: one literacy score; feedback for students not yet successful.

Scale and dates

  • Scale score from 200 to 400; at least 300 = successful outcome.
  • 2026–2027 fall window: Tue Nov 3, 2026 to Mon Nov 30, 2026; results by end of January 2027.
  • Spring window: Tue Mar 30, 2027 to Mon Apr 19, 2027; results by end of May 2027.
  • Last two days of each window reserved for students who missed their date.

Tools, accommodations, alternatives

  • Built-in tools for everyone: zoom, text-to-speech, high contrast, line reader, highlighter, eraser, rough notes.
  • Accommodations based on need (IEP); alternative version with only single-selection and open-response questions; large print and braille on request about three weeks ahead.
  • Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC): open to students who have had two opportunities to write the OSSLT and were unsuccessful at least once; principal may allow earlier entry; mature students may enrol directly.
  • EQAO offers a free online practice test with a results page showing correct answers, rubrics and sample responses.

French counterpart

  • TPCL = Test provincial de compétences linguistiques, written by students in Ontario's French-language schools.
  • Same design: online, two sessions (≈ 65 and ≈ 75 min), 37 questions (35 selected-response, 2 constructed-response), scale 200–400, 300 to succeed.
  • Reading text types in French: récit de vie, paragraphe informatif, nouvelle journalistique, dialogue.
  • Alternative course: CCLESO (Cours de compétences linguistiques des écoles secondaires de l'Ontario).

Reading: real-life narratives

Original true-to-life stories in the style of the OSSLT real-life narrative: find stated facts, infer feelings and motives, follow the sequence of events and connect the story to your own experience.

Practise Reading: real-life narratives questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Where the real-life narrative fits

  • The reading part of every OSSLT form uses four selection types: real-life narrative, information paragraph, news report and dialogue.
  • Reading has 23 scored selected-response questions plus 1 open response in all.
  • The real-life narrative comes with 7 selected-response questions worth 10 raw score points, about 13 % of the total literacy score.
  • It has no open-response question (the reading open response belongs to the news report).
  • Selected-response questions can be single selection, multiple selection, drag and drop, drop-down menu or checklist.

The three reading skills measured

  • Skill 1, explicit information: the answer is stated directly in the selection.
  • Skill 2, inferences: the idea is implied, not stated; every clue needed is inside the selection.
  • Local inference = a conclusion drawn from specific sentences or one paragraph (a feeling, a reason, what a detail suggests).
  • Global inference = a conclusion about the whole selection, such as its theme or how a character changes.
  • Skill 3, connections: linking ideas in the selection with personal knowledge and experience (what a reader could learn or apply).
  • The texts are pitched at the reading expected across all subjects up to the end of Grade 9.

what the 4 original narratives cover

  • Four invented true-to-life stories (348–371 words) about Ontario teens: a first bakery shift, a move to Sudbury, volunteering at a seniors' residence, a band solo.
  • Each story has 7 questions: stated facts, sequence of events, a word or expression in context, local inferences about feelings or motives, one global question (theme, change, ending) and one "what can a reader learn" question.
  • All names, places and events are invented; nothing is taken from EQAO practice material.

strategies for real-life narrative questions

  • Read the question stem first, then the story, so you know which details to watch for.
  • Fact questions: find the sentence that answers it; the right choice usually rewords that sentence.
  • Sequence questions ("first", "right before", "right after"): mark time words such as "for the first hour", "at seven o'clock", "the fifth time".
  • Vocabulary or figurative expressions ("his stomach dropped"): reread the sentences before and after; the right meaning must fit the scene, not just the dictionary.
  • Feeling and motive questions: look at what the character does next; actions confirm feelings.
  • Theme questions: ask what the main character learns or how they change from beginning to end; the theme is a general lesson, not a single event.
  • Reject choices that use real words from the story but add something the story never says (a cost, a reason, a person).
  • Reject choices with "always" or "never" unless the story clearly supports them.
  • Connection questions: pick the lesson the story actually shows working, not general advice that sounds good.
  • Endings matter: a final image or line often echoes something earlier (a photo, a recording, a price) and shows the change.

Reading: information paragraphs

Original information paragraphs on science, health, history and everyday topics: main idea, supporting details, word meaning in context and the purpose of a sentence.

Practise Reading: information paragraphs questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Where the information paragraph fits

  • The reading part of every OSSLT form uses four selection types: real-life narrative, information paragraph, news report and dialogue.
  • The information paragraph comes with 6 selected-response questions worth 10 raw score points, about 13 % of the total literacy score.
  • It has no open-response question; the 23 reading selected-response questions are shared across the four selections.
  • Selected-response formats include single selection, multiple selection, drag and drop, drop-down menu and checklist.

The three reading skills measured

  • Explicit information: the answer is directly stated in the paragraph.
  • Inferences: the answer is implied; all the evidence needed is inside the paragraph, not in outside knowledge.
  • Local inferences come from one or two sentences; global inferences come from the paragraph as a whole (its main idea or what it suggests overall).
  • Connections: relating the information to personal knowledge and experience, for example applying it to a new situation.

Curriculum link

  • The Grade 9 English expectations cited include reading complex texts using vocabulary, grammar and cohesive ties (C1.1), understanding new words in context (B2.2) and summarizing important ideas and drawing conclusions (C2.6).

what the 4 original paragraphs cover

  • Four single paragraphs (205–219 words): how maple syrup is made, teen sleep, the history of the Rideau Canal, how capacitive touchscreens work.
  • Each has 6 questions: main idea, a stated detail, word or phrase meaning in context, purpose of a sentence, a conclusion or application, and which quoted sentence best supports a statement.
  • Facts used: sap flows best with nights below and days above freezing; about 40 L of sap make 1 L of syrup; Canada makes most of the world's maple syrup.
  • Facts used: Canadian guidelines recommend 8 to 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep for ages 14 to 17.
  • Facts used: the Rideau Canal (Ottawa to Kingston, about 200 km) was built 1826–1832 under Lt.-Col. John By and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.
  • Facts used: capacitive screens sense a change in electrical charge, not pressure, which is why ordinary gloves do not work.

strategies for information paragraph questions

  • The main idea covers most sentences; a choice that matches only one sentence is a supporting detail.
  • The first and last sentences often state or sum up the main idea.
  • Detail questions: scan for the number, name or key word from the stem, then read the whole sentence.
  • Word meaning: replace the word with each choice and keep the one that fits the sentence; distractors are often other real meanings of the same word.
  • Purpose of a sentence: look at the sentence right after it; it usually shows what the first sentence was setting up.
  • Conclusion questions: the right answer follows from stated facts; wrong answers contradict the text or go beyond it.
  • "Which sentence best supports" questions: test each quotation against the exact statement; a true sentence on a different point is not support.
  • Signal words (because, so, which is why, however, in short) show cause, result, contrast or summary.

Reading: news reports

Original local news reports: the 5 Ws in the lead, headline and quotation use, fact versus opinion, the order of information and what a reader can infer.

Practise Reading: news reports questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Where the news report fits

  • The reading part of the OSSLT uses four selection types: real-life narrative, information paragraph, news report and dialogue.
  • Reading has 23 selected-response questions plus 1 open-response question; the single reading open response is attached to the news report.

Blueprint for the news report

  • News report = 5 selected-response questions + 1 open-response question.
  • Together they are worth 10 raw score points, about 13 % of the total literacy score (tied with the information paragraph and the real-life narrative as the largest reading selections).
  • Total reading = 38 raw points, about 49 % of the score.

Reading skills measured

  • Skill 1, explicit information: answers are stated directly in the selection (e.g., a date, a number, who did something).
  • Skill 2, implicit information (inference): local inferences use one sentence or paragraph; global inferences use the whole selection (e.g., its overall message). All evidence must come from the selection.
  • Skill 3, connections: link ideas in the selection to personal knowledge and experience (e.g., how a reader could use the information).

Generic open-response reading rubric

  • Blank = nothing typed; code I = restates or comments on the prompt, misunderstands the selection, is off-topic or illegible.
  • Code 10 = minimal comprehension: minimal or irrelevant ideas from the selection.
  • Code 20 = some comprehension: vague ideas and information from the selection.
  • Code 30 = considerable comprehension: accurate, specific and relevant ideas and information from the selection.
  • Open responses are scored by trained educators; selected-response questions are machine-scored.

how a news report is built

  • Headline: a short summary of the main event; it often leaves out small words.
  • Lead (first paragraph): answers the 5 Ws — who, what, where, when, why (sometimes how).
  • Body: quotations from people involved, background (what happened before), then smaller details; a closing line often tells readers what happens next or what they can do.
  • Quotations are included to show a personal view, a reason, an effect or a different opinion in the person's own words.
  • Fact = can be checked (numbers, dates, events). Opinion = a judgment others could disagree with; watch for words such as best, most beautiful, should, bigger problem, believes.

answering strategies

  • Read the headline and lead first; most "what is this report about" questions are answered there.
  • For a detail question, find the exact sentence; distractors often reuse real numbers from the report in the wrong role (e.g., this year's total instead of the first year's).
  • For "why does the reporter include…" questions, ask what the quotation or paragraph adds: a reason, an effect, effort, another point of view, or the next step.
  • For the open response: answer the question in your first words, then give two specific details from the report (names, numbers, events). Do not just restate the question, and do not add facts that are not in the article.

Reading: dialogues

Original conversations between two or more speakers: what each speaker wants, how their attitudes change, tone, and what the exchange suggests about the relationship.

Practise Reading: dialogues questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Where the dialogue fits

  • The dialogue is one of the four reading selection types on the OSSLT, with the real-life narrative, the information paragraph and the news report.
  • Selected-response questions on the test can be single selection, multiple selection, drag and drop, drop-down menu or checklist; our practice uses single selection.

Blueprint for the dialogue

  • Dialogue = 5 selected-response questions and no open response.
  • Worth 8 raw score points, about 10 % of the total literacy score — the smallest of the four reading selections.
  • Total reading = 38 raw points, about 49 % of the score.

Reading skills measured

  • Skill 1, explicit information: what a speaker directly says he or she wants, plans or did.
  • Skill 2, implicit information (inference): feelings, tone, motives and relationships that are shown but not stated; local inferences come from one line or exchange, global inferences from the whole conversation.
  • All evidence for an inference must be in the selection, not in outside guesses.
  • Skill 3, connections: relate the speakers' situation to the reader's own knowledge and experience.

Rubric link

  • The dialogue has no open response, but the reading rubric's top code rewards accurate, specific and relevant ideas from the selection; the same habit (point to the exact line) picks the right selected-response answer.

how a dialogue works

  • Script format: the speaker's name, a colon, then the words; stage directions in brackets, such as (laughing), show actions or tone.
  • There is no narrator, so feelings must be inferred from word choice, short replies, pauses ("That's... okay"), questions and apologies.
  • Most practice dialogues have a turning point: one speaker changes a plan or an attitude after hearing new information.
  • Relationship clues: teasing and laughter suggest closeness; formal words suggest strangers or a worker and a customer; a coach or teacher often guides with questions.

answering strategies

  • "What does X want" — look at the speaker's first lines; later lines may show a changed want.
  • "How does X feel and how do we know" — the correct choice names a feeling and the line that proves it; reject choices whose evidence comes from a different moment in the conversation.
  • "How does the attitude change" — compare the speaker's first and last lines; the answer has the form "from … to …".
  • Tone — read the line with the lines just before and after it; the reply it gets often shows whether it was teasing, doubtful or serious.
  • "What happens next" — the last few lines usually state a plan ("I'll…", "tonight", "on Thursday"); choose the action already promised, not a dropped idea.

Writing: spelling, grammar and punctuation

Selected-response practice on the conventions the OSSLT checks: subject–verb agreement, verb tense, pronouns, commonly confused words, commas, apostrophes, run-ons and sentence fragments.

Practise Writing: spelling, grammar and punctuation questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Writing selected-response

  • 12 selected-response writing questions = 20 raw points (≈ 25 % of the literacy score).
  • They cover structuring content, organizing ideas and using language conventions.
  • Writing skill 3: use conventions (spelling, grammar, punctuation) so they do not distract from clear communication.
  • Grade 9 English expectations linked by EQAO: parts of speech and grammar (B3.2), capitalization and punctuation (B3.3).

Our usage notes (standard Canadian English)

  • Subject–verb agreement: the verb agrees with the subject, not with a noun in a following "of" phrase (the list of chores is).
  • "Each", "every", "either", "neither" used alone are singular (each of the players has).
  • With "neither ... nor" / "either ... or", the verb agrees with the nearer subject.
  • Keep verb tense consistent within a sentence unless the time actually changes.
  • Object pronoun after a preposition: to Amir and me (test by removing the other person).
  • "Would have", never "would of".
  • Commonly confused: their / there / they're; its / it's; than / then; affect (verb) / effect (noun); accept / except; which / witch.
  • Comma after an introductory phrase or clause; commas between items in a list.
  • Two complete sentences need a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a joining word (and, but, so); a comma alone is a comma splice.
  • A semicolon joins two closely related complete sentences without "and".
  • A fragment lacks a main clause (starts with because/when/-ing and never finishes).
  • Plural possessive: students' (apostrophe after the s); "its" never takes an apostrophe for possession.
  • Question mark inside the closing quotation mark when the quoted words are the question.
  • Introductory -ing phrase must describe the subject that follows (dangling modifier).
  • Parallel structure: list items share the same grammatical form.

conventions notes in French

  • Homophones: a/à, ou/où, ces/ses/c'est/s'est, on/ont, leur/leurs.
  • Participe passé avec avoir : accord avec le complément direct placé avant le verbe.
  • Adjectif : accord en genre et en nombre avec le nom.
  • Pas de virgule devant le « et » final d'une énumération; deux-points avant une énumération annoncée.
  • « Ni... ni » s'emploie avec « ne » et sans « pas ».
  • Mois et titres comme « tante » sans majuscule; villes et prénoms avec majuscule.

Writing: organizing ideas

Topic sentences, logical order, transition words, paragraph unity and concluding sentences: choosing the change that makes a short paragraph clearer.

Practise Writing: organizing ideas questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Writing skills

  • Writing skill 2: organize information and ideas in a coherent manner.
  • The 12 selected-response writing questions include the structuring of content and the organization of ideas.
  • Grade 9 English expectation linked by EQAO: classify and sequence ideas and identify and organize relevant content (D1.4).

Our notes on organizing a paragraph

  • Topic sentence: states the main idea the paragraph will develop; it is general, not a single event.
  • Concluding sentence: restates the main point; it does not add a new detail.
  • Sequence words (first, then, next, finally) show time order; the introducing sentence comes before them.
  • Transitions by job: adding (in addition, also), contrast (however, even so), example (for example), result (as a result, therefore), time (meanwhile, then).
  • Combine two sentences with a joining word that shows the relationship (when, because, but), not with a comma alone.
  • A linking sentence between paragraphs looks back at one topic and forward to the next.
  • One main idea per paragraph; unrelated ideas go into separate paragraphs.
  • Persuasive order often builds from weaker to strongest point.
  • Weak support: a detail that would be true no matter what (comfortable chairs do not justify longer hours).

Writing: main idea and supporting details

Spotting the main idea of a paragraph, choosing the most relevant supporting detail and removing sentences that wander off topic.

Practise Writing: main idea and supporting details questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Writing skills

  • Writing skill 1: develop a main idea with sufficient supporting details.
  • Scored through the selected-response writing questions and the opinion essay.

Our notes on main idea and details

  • The main idea is the general point every other sentence supports; it is often, but not always, the first sentence.
  • Supporting details explain, give examples, give numbers or describe; they must connect to the main idea.
  • An off-topic sentence may be true and interesting but does not support the main idea; remove it.
  • Specific details name people, places, actions, numbers or images; vague details use words like "nice", "fun", "very".
  • Repeating the main idea in other words is not support.
  • The strongest support explains why the main idea matters (for example, saving a life, saving money).
  • Evidence such as a count or a measurement supports a claim of success or effect.

The opinion essay

How the OSSLT opinion essay is built and scored: a clear opinion, specific supporting details, coherent organization and controlled conventions, with original model paragraphs to analyze.

Practise The opinion essay questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Opinion essay

  • One open-response long-writing prompt (opinion) = 20 raw points (≈ 25 % of the literacy score).
  • Form: a series of paragraphs supporting an opinion.
  • Written work is scored as a first draft because a large-scale test does not allow full revision.

Topic development rubric (codes 10–60), our summary

  • Lowest codes: no opinion, or an opinion with ideas but no supporting details or with unrelated details; no evidence of organization.
  • Middle codes: opinion unclear or inconsistent, or clear but with insufficient, vague or repetitive details; some organization with lapses.
  • 40: clear, consistent opinion, sufficient details but only some specific; organization mechanical.
  • 50: clear, consistent opinion with sufficient specific details; logical organization.
  • 60: specific details that are thoughtfully chosen; coherent organization with a thoughtful progression of ideas.
  • Code I (not scored as an essay): comment on the task, off-topic, illegible, only "yes"/"no", or a restatement of the prompt.

Conventions rubric (codes 10–40), our summary

  • 10: fewer than 30 words (not counting prompt words), or errors interfere with communication.
  • 20: errors distract from communication.
  • 30: errors do not distract.
  • 40: control of conventions is evident.

Our checklist for a strong opinion essay (original guidance)

  • Introduction: state one clear opinion and preview the reasons.
  • Body: one reason per paragraph, opened with a transition, each supported with a specific example or detail.
  • Optional: answer one objection ("Some people worry ... However ...").
  • Conclusion: restate the opinion and the main benefit; no new ideas.
  • Save a few minutes to reread for spelling, punctuation and missing words.

Written in our own words from: EQAO Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test Framework

FAQ

OSSLT study guide: common questions

What is the best way to use this OSSLT study guide?

Read one topic, then answer that topic's practice questions while the rules are fresh. Note the questions you miss, re-read those notes, and finish with a full practice test across all 9 topics.

Is this the official OSSLT handbook?

No. It is our own summary of the EQAO Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test Framework. Use it to review, and use the official handbook when you need the exact wording of a rule.

Can I print the study guide?

Yes, with your browser's print command. For practice questions on paper with an answer key, use our printable questions and answers page instead.

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