The second statewide direct writing assessment was conducted for grade eight by the California Assessment Program (CAP) in the spring of 1988. Each student wrote an essay in response to 1 of 45 prompts (writing tasks) representing 6 types of writing: autobiographical incident, report of information, problem solution, evaluation, story, and firsthand biography. A total of 294,859 essays were scored at 6 regional scoring sites by 384 teachers; this number includes a 5% sample of papers that was double-scored for reliability studies. Approximately 96% of the students who took the essay test comprehended the writing tasks and responded to the topic. Scores were assigned for rhetorical effectiveness, special features (such as coherence or elaboration), and conventions. Results revealed that most students wrote adequate or marginally adequate essays (62%), some wrote exceptionally well (12%), and others wrote poorly (22%). Eighth graders were most competent at reporting information, less competent at writing autobiography and firsthand biography, and least able to write a story and to produce the two kinds of persuasive writing. Also, students exhibited better control of conventions than of rhetorical strategies. Overall, students' scores increased. Recommendations for school administrators, teachers, and parents are included. (KEH)