2010 WriteMark |
Friday 3 September 2010 |
New Zealand Plain English Awards |
|
Assessing against the WriteMark Plain English Standard
Documents
All documents entered in the WriteMark New Zealand Plain English Awards 2007 will be assessed against the WriteMark Plain English Standard, as Step 1 of the judging process. The criteria in the WriteMark Plain English Standard are summarised under the following headings.
Structure
The purpose of the document is clear. The key messages are obvious and clearly stated. Logical flow supports reader understanding.
Content
The document has accurate, relevant content, and graphics are used appropriately.
Language
The language used is appropriate in style and tone for its intended audience.
Precise, familiar, everyday words are used in straightforward sentences.
Sentences are mostly active and positive.
Sentences have an average length of 15–20 words.
Paragraphs are reasonably short.
Words like ‘we’ and ‘you’ are used in place of ‘the company’ or ‘the customer’.
Grammar, proofreading, and style consistency
Grammar, punctuation, and spelling are correct. Style elements are consistently applied and the document is free of visual clutter.
Layout and overall presentation
Layout, fonts, and graphics work together to make the document easy to read.
Websites
Ten pages of each website, including the Home page and several top-level pages, will be assessed against the WriteMark Plain English Standard for Websites.
The criteria in the WriteMark Plain English Standard for Websites are summarised under the following headings.
Strategic purpose
The purpose of the site is clear.
Credibility
The information on the site appears credible, up to date, and trustworthy.
Structure
The site and individual pages are structured logically from the reader’s point of view and key information is easy to find.
Language
The language used is appropriate in style and tone for its intended audience.
Precise, familiar, everyday words are used in straightforward sentences.
Sentences are mostly active and positive.
Sentences have an average length of 15–20 words.
Paragraphs are reasonably short.
Words like ‘we’ and ‘you’ are used in place of ‘the company’ or ‘the customer’.
Grammar, proofreading, and style consistency
Grammar, punctuation, and spelling are correct. Style elements are consistently applied and the document is free of visual clutter.
Layout and overall presentation
Layout, fonts, and graphics work together to make the document easy to read.
Usability
The sitemap, menus, forms, and links are logical and useful. Pages use obvious keywords.
Links
Link text is informative, clearly written, and well placed.
Sponsors
We would like to thank the following sponsors for their support in 2010.
