photo by:
Milena Mihaylova 
The table below lists the writing traits matrix of the developmental phases in second language writing at three different levels: beginning, intermediate, and advanced.
| Trait | Beginning Level | Intermediate Level | Advanced Level |
| Fluency | Writes one or two sentences. | Writes several sentences. | Writes a paragraph or more. |
| Organization | Lacks logical sequence or so short that organization presents no problem. | Somewhat sequenced. | Follows standard organization for genre. |
| Grammar | Basic word order problems. Uses only present tense forms. | Minor grammatical errors, such as -s on verbs in third person singular. | Grammar resembles that of native speaker of same age. |
| Vocabulary | Limited vocabulary. Needs to rely at times on first language or ask for translation. | Knows most words needed to express ideas, but lacks vocabulary for finer shades of meaning. | Flexible in word choice; similar to good native writer of same age. |
| Genre | Does not differentiate form to suit purpose. | Chooses form to suit purpose, but limited in choices of expository forms. | Knows several genres; makes appropriate choices. Similar to effective native writers of same age. |
| Sentence Variety | Uses one or two sentence patterns. | Uses several sentence patterns. | Uses a good variety of sentence patterns effectively. |
Excerpted From:
Excerpt from Reading, Writing and Learning in ESL: A Resource Book for K-12 Teachers, MyLabSchool Edition, by S.F. Peregoy, O.F. Boyle, 2005 edition, p. 224.
© ______ 2005, Allyn & Bacon, an imprint of Pearson Education Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The reproduction, duplication, or distribution of this material by any means including but not limited to email and blogs is strictly prohibited without the explicit permission of the publisher.
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