The Writing Assessment measures how well a candidate writes in English, giving you an objective, standardized proficiency score you can compare across every applicant. It is built for any role that involves written correspondence with customers or colleagues.
Why use it
- Objective and consistent — every candidate is scored the same way against an internationally recognized standard (CEFR levels A1–C2), removing guesswork from screening.
- Purpose-built for writing — it evaluates real written communication, not typing speed, subject knowledge, or personality.
- Fast to run at scale — responses are scored automatically, so you can screen large candidate pools without manual review.
- Optional AI-answer detection — see the likelihood that a response was AI-generated, human-written, or a mix, so you can trust the score.
How it works
Candidates answer one or more open-ended questions in English. Each response is automatically scored across four dimensions:
- Task Response — how well the answer addresses the question
- Vocabulary — range and accuracy of word choice
- Coherence — logical structure and flow
- Grammar — accuracy of grammatical structures
The result is expressed as a CEFR level (A1–C2) and an overall percentage. Where multiple questions are used, the overall score reflects the candidate's highest score across all questions, not the average.
What can be configured
- Questions — use between one and six questions. Two ready-made customer service scenarios are included, or you can write your own.
- Timer — set a time limit per question (10 minutes by default) or switch it off to let candidates take as long as they need.
- AI-answer detection — turn it on or off per assessment, depending on whether you want insight into AI likelihood alongside the proficiency score.
Where you'll see results
- Candidate Detail Page — the overall CEFR level and percentage, the four sub-scores, and (if enabled) AI-detection percentages per answer.
- PDF result reports — all scores, and AI-detection results where enabled, included in the candidate's report.
- Reports Hub — the full scoring dataset, including every sub-score and AI-detection result, for analysis across candidates.
Good to know
- Responses are always evaluated in English, regardless of your account's system language. Let candidates know they must answer in English.
- Candidates type each answer directly — pasting is disabled — and see a live counter for the 300-character minimum and 800-character maximum.
- Candidates cannot return to a previous question once they move on, so question order matters.
- AI-answer detection needs at least 300 characters to return a result; shorter responses are still scored for proficiency.
Writing Assessment module management and configuration is handled by the Harver team. For questions, additional information or modifications, please contact your Account Manager directly.