Sample Responses with Raters' Comments
Score 5 Essay
The lecture completely refutes the passage. It is said in the lecture that, the perceived acts    of altruism are nothing more than sneaky methods of gaining advantage for one's self. Contrary to the belief in the passage that sentinels risk their lives for the cause of the whole group, the professor says that the meerkat sentinels are in fact less prone to outside threats. The alarm sentinels give off causes to group to move rashly which draws the predators attention towards them, thus drawing away the attention from the sentinels.

The lecture refutes the fact that these meerkats are altruistic in the sense that they gain nothing in exchange of their services. In fact, researches have shown that they have a full stomach as they perform this “altruistic” duty and have a better chance of escaping from danger because they witness it first Proffer also offers a different underlying motivation that causes people to believe that acts such as donating an organ or sharing food with someone in need are altruistic. She says that people gain appreciation as a result of such acts, which may be deemed by some much more important than materialistic gains.
 
Rater's Comments
This answer meets all the criteria for a Level 5 response to an integrated task. The writer does a good job of selecting, framing, and interweaving points from the lecture and reading, explicitly and fluently presenting accurate connections between the relevant points. All three points made by the lecturer are included. Language is used accurately and effectively, and the overall piece is well-organized.
 
Score 4 Essay
Baed on the lecture, meerkats actually do not sacrifice themself by becoming a sentinel. Firstly, the meerkats that become a sentinel usually eats before. Secondly, these meerkats usually standing guard near their burrows. As a result, when a predator is seen, they raise an alarm and reach a safe place before the other meerkats that hunt for food. This shows that these meerkats do not put themselves in danger. In fact, the lecturer warned that the the alarm raised by these meerkats could be harmfull for the other meerkats. One of the reason is that the responses of the other meerkats to the alarm might attract attention from the predator. Based on these reasons, meerkats can not be used as an example of a mammal that performs altruistic behavior.

The lecture also pointed out that. it is not always true that individuals performing altruistic acts gait. nothings for themselves. For example, when a man give one of his/her kidney to a family member or even a stranger, his/her self-worth increase. He/she feels usefull for other people. Therefore, he/she gain something from his/her action.

In sum, altruism behavior in animal and human is questioned. It is difficult for individuals sacrificies its own interest without gain anything for themselves.
 
Rater's Comments
This response includes all the main points of the lecture. The first paragraph begins with a clear statement that sentinel meerkats do not sacrifice themselves. There are strong concluding statements in each of the first two paragraphs that are quite explicit about the import of the sentinel behavior and the organ donation. The connections to the reading could be stronger. The writer says that the sentinel meerkat eats "before," but does not make an explicit contrast to the passage which says that sentinel meerkats go without eating. The conclusion in the final paragraph is vague (“altruism ... is questioned”). On balance then, this response is a level 4, with minor vagueness and omission. In terms of language, there are a number of minor errors: “themselves” missing verb in the sentence beginning “Secondly;” “one of the reason,” “a man give” “It is difficult for individuals sacrificies.”
 
Score 3 Essay
Acording to the lecture, examinig closely to the eating habits of meerkats, these amimals are not altruistic, mainly because the sentinel before standing guard eats. So that it has a full stomach. Another fact is that the sentinel, being the first that sees the predator, is able to be the first in escape. Also the other meerkats that are hunting and looking for food are the ones in danger. Considering the altruistic human acts, the donation of body organs shouldn't be considered like that, mainly because when a person donates an organ he or she receives appreciation and recognition of society.
Because of this points the lecture might make the reader doubt, mainly because the eating habits of the meerkats have been studied closely, giving arguments in order to justify that meerkats aren't doing altruistic acts.

The other argument about human and [heir altruistic actions sounds logical and a situation in which a person would donate organs just to get appreciation of society couls be probable.

Because of this both, reading and lecture, are completely opposite, might make the user doubt and reflect more about altruism.
 
Rater’s Comments
This response is at level 3. On the positive side, the response includes all the facts of the   sentinel meerkat from the lecture as well as organ donation. However it is very vague in how it   relates (see the Level 3 description in the Scoring Guide) the various points in the lecture to the   points in the reading. There is no clear reference to the claim in the reading that the sentinel is   sacrificing food or any explanation of the other meerkats being in danger. The statement commenting on organ donation, “The other argument about human and their altruistic actions sounds logical and a situation in which a person would donate organs just to get appreciation of society could be probable,” is not very clear.