|
Do
a readability test.
A readability test
tells you the grade level or reading level people should have to read
and understand your document.
| If
your document is: |
Aim for: |
| Essential
information for people who have less than 8 years of school or whose
first language isn’t English. |
Grade
5 to 6 |
| Information
for the general public that has new terms and concepts or specialized
subject matter. |
Grade
7 to 9 |
| Specialized
information for people who are familiar with the topic and who have
good literacy skills. |
Grade
10 + |
Two readability
tests are described here.
The first is the
Fry Readability Test. Follow the directions and use the graph
on page 30-31 to do this test.
The second is
the Reading Effectiveness Tool. You need a computer and the internet
to do this test. Test the main text. Don’t include titles, headings,
and subheadings. Try to avoid sections done in point form or with step-by-step
numbers.
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