WriteMark criteria for documents

WriteMark assessors check your document against a set of criteria accepted as best practice by plain language practitioners around the world.

For documents, assessors look at 28 elements in five areas.

• Structure
• Content
• Language
• Grammar, proofreading, and style consistency
• Layout and overall presentation

Structure

Assessors consider whether the purpose of the document is clear, and whether the information is in a logical order from the reader’s point of view. They check that the structure makes main messages obvious.

Content

Assessors look for appropriate, relevant content that answers the reader’s likely questions. Assessors expect graphics to add information, not just visual interest.
 

Language

Assessors look for language that is easy to read — generally  short, straightforward sentences, familiar words that people use every day, appropriate use of active voice and of  ‘you’ and ‘we’, and appropriate tone.

Grammar, proofreading, and style consistency

Assessors check that the page is free of errors and that words are used consistently. They also check that the page is correctly punctuated.

Layout and overall presentation

Assessors look for plenty of white space and plenty of visual contrast. They expect that the presentation of the document will make the information easy to see and will help understanding.
 
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