Ontario CIITE Project and the Canadian Language Benchmarks

To find out more about the project, Colleges Integrating Immigrants to Employment (CIITE), carried out by a number of Ontario Colleges with funding from the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, visit this website  CIITE Project.

Ontario College Writing Exemplars and the Canadian Language Benchmarks

The Ontario College Writing Exemplars (OCWE) provides the basis for a common language and understanding of levels of writing skill for first-year Ontario College programs, as well as current college students. The Writing Exemplars will foster a province-wide, common understanding of the various levels of English usage through a clear communication about the levels of writing skills required for success in the wide range of college programs.

The Writing Exemplars provide a measure of competency, which, when aligned to the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) writing descriptors, becomes a clear statement of an ESL adult learner's ability to use the English language to complete first year college writing tasks.

The Ontario College Writing Exemplars were developed by the Heads of Language (HOL) – the Ontario provincial organization responsible for English/communications instruction in the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology (CAAT) with funding from School/College/Work Initiative program of the Ontario Ministry of Education. The HOL approached the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks (CCLB) and proposed a partnership in the development of the OCWE Project. Funding for the CCLB consultant’s work was provided by the Ontario Ministry of Access to Trades & Professions.

To see a copy go to this website: http://www.gotocollege.ca/pdfs/6-8_OCWE-UG.pdf.

The Purpose of Aligning the CLB to the Writing Exemplars

The alignment of the CLB to the Rating Scale in the Ontario College Writing Exemplars document provides ESL programs with a clear description of the writing skills required for success in the first year of college studies. The alignment creates an important link between educational institutions providing ESL and community colleges. The aligned Writing Exemplars can be used to inform and prepare ESL learners for entry into college programs, and facilitate their access to occupation-related programs.