Abstract
Summary. Two samples of essay‐type answers in examinations of high school graduate candidates were analysed applying a two‐way classification scheme. The unit of classification was “a thought”, expressing by one or more sentences a coherent idea. Both the subject matter treated and the way it was treated were taken into account in the classification of thoughts. The treatment in expressions was rated as reproductive or as elaborative. Consistent with previous findings, the length of an essay answer correlated strongly with grades. Here it is also shown that elaborated thoughts were significantly longer than reproduced ones. Accordingly, the well‐known correlation between length and grade is not a triviality: it also reflects qualitative properties of essays which are appreciated by teachers. Among these are the amount of elaboration as well as the amount and quality of school knowledge.
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