Taxonomy I
Taxonomy II
Taxonomy III
Taxonomies I - II - III
Taxonomies II - III
Appendix A – Units of measurement and symbols
Appendix B – Special characters
Appendix C – Standard spellings for terms with prefixes
Appendix D – Style guide development history

APPENDIX D – Style guide development history

V.2 ‑ June 2025  ||  V.1 ‑ April 2023
Date of new version Reason for new version Modifications

JUNE 2025
Version 2

The Style Guide must reflect Red Seal examination item development standards.

The new Style Guide was put into practice during 2023 and 2024 during a substantial number of item bank, editing, translation and peer review workshops. Feedback, both verbal and written, was constant from all stakeholders. Significant omissions and necessary revisions to existing sections were noted.

As a result – and in keeping with the credo that the Style Guide is an evergreen document – the Style Guide working group was reconvened in late 2024 and spent several months rigorously revising the Guide. Errors in content and format were corrected, ambiguous statements were reworded, a number of sections were deleted altogether, and many more sections were augmented or created for v.2.

The cover page was modified for clarity.

A development history section has been inserted between the cover page and table of contents, outlining modifications and additions made to the Style Guide, as well as the reasons for these changes.

The section and subsection numberings listed below are the current ones found in v.2 following the addition of many sections and subsections and the deletion of several others. The previous numberings are not taken into account.

MINOR modifications, clarifications, additions and deletions were made to the explanations, examples and notes of the sections and subsections listed below.

Cover page
  • rewording of warning text
  • addition of note informing of French version
1.1 – Who, what, when, where, why and how questions
  • rewording of ‘how’ explanation
  • addition of ‘how’ phrasing example
2.1 – How, what and procedures
  • rewording of first example
2.2 – Codebooks
  • rewording of short phrase in explanation
  • rewording of example
2.3.1 – How + 1 action
  • clarification of third bullet
  • addition of fourth bullet
  • rewording of stem in second example
  • addition of fourth example
2.3.2 – How + 2 or more actions
  • clarification added to explanation
  • rewording of responses in second examples
3.1 – What happens, correct the problem, cause and effect, calculations
  • rewording of examples
  • addition of note
  • rewording of stem in third set of examples
4.1.2 – Avoid long sentence(s) + question in stem
  • rewording of example
  • deletion of example
4.2 – Only 1 subject in the question of a stem
  • rewording of title
  • rewording of example
  • addition of 2 examples
4.3 – Avoid open‑ended questions
  • replacement of 2 examples
  • rewording of example
4.4 – Avoid true / false phrasing
  • rewording of explanation
  • rewording of second example
4.5.1 – Which
  • addition of examples
  • rewording of examples
4.5.2 – What
  • replacement and addition of examples
4.6 – Non‑affirmative wording
  • rewording of explanation
4.6.1 – Modal verbs — could / would / should / can / will / shall
  • rewording of examples
4.6.2 – Conjunction If
  • clarification of explanation
4.6.3 – Conjunction When
  • clarification of explanation
4.7 – Negatives
  • rewording of explanation
  • rewording of second bullet
  • addition of third bullet
4.7.1 – Negatives are bolded
  • replacement of example
4.7.2 – Making a negative statement postitive
  • addition of 2 examples
  • rewording of example
4.8 – And, but
  • rewording of explanation
  • addition of note
4.8.1 – But — Exception
  • rewording of esxample
  • replacement of example
4.9.1 – When to use round brackets
  • clarification of first bullet in explanation
  • rewording of example
4.10 – Safety and codebook items — Required / requirement
  • addition of ‘requirement’ to title and explanation
  • rewording of third example
4.11 – Avoid clues in stem or responses
  • addition of reference and bullet in explanation
  • addition of 2 examples and notes
  • rewording of example
4.13 – Where questions
  • clarifiation of explanation
  • addition of bullet and examples
  • rewording of example
4.14 – When questions
  • rewording of explanation and example
4.16 – Only 1 subject in the question of a stem + only 1 correct answer per response
  • rewording of example
4.16.1 – Exceptions
  • rewording of example
4.18.3 – It / they / them and This / that / these / those
  • addition of ‘This / that / these / those’ in title
  • addition of second example
  • rewording of example
4.19.2.12 – Exceptions — Prepositional phrases
  • rewording of first example
4.21.2.2 – Generic terms
  • replacement of first example
  • addition of note
4.22.2 – Canadian spelling
  • addition of example
4.22.3.2 – Metre vs Meter
  • clarification of explanation and column titles
4.24.1.1 – Ratios
  • rewording of explanation
4.24.3 – Hyphenated words
  • reorganization and rewording of examples for clarification
4.24.3.1 – Hyphenated number + noun as adjective
  • rewording and addition of examples
4.26.3.1 – Number + unit of measurement or descriptor — Always on same line
  • addition of 3 examples and note
4.26.4 – Decimal places
  • correction of spelling in example
4.26.5 – Quantity
  • clarification of explanation
4.26.5.1 – Quantity — Exceptions (spelled out)
  • clarification of explanation
4.26.5.2 – Quantity — Exceptions (single-phase, three-phase, etc.)
  • rewording of explanation
4.27.1 – Imperial system measurements
  • rewording of both examples
4.29 – Ranges — Measurements and symbols
  • addition of 2 sub‑bullets, 1 example and note
4.30 – Or and and/or
  • rewording of title
  • rewording of third example
  • addition of 3 examples
4.31 – First, second, third, etc. — Ordinal numbers
  • rewording of explanation
4.34.1 – Final period
  • addition of bullet
  • rewording of bullet
  • replacement of seventh example
4.34.4.1 – Lists — Exception to Oxford comma before final and
  • addition of example
4.36.1 – Numbers — Alignment
  • rewording of explanation
  • replacement of second example
4.36.2 – Decimal places
  • addition to explanation
4.37.1 – Overlapping ranges
  • replacement of first example
4.40 – Round brackets (parentheses)
  • rewording of explanation
4.41 – Null responses
  • addition of note and 3 examples
4.42 – Order of responses
  • addition of note
4.43 – Balanced responses
  • rewording of explanation and of fifth bullet
  • replacement of first example
5.1 – Stem with bullet points
  • rewording of example
5.2 – Multiple statements + question
  • rewording of explanation and of fifth bullet
  • replacement of several examples
5.4.2 – What is done
  • replacement of second bullet
  • addition of third bullet
  • rewording of responses in first example
  • addition of second example
5.6 – Diagrams
  • addition of an note
5.6.2 – Units of measurement and symbols
  • rewording of title and of explanation
5.7 – Codebook measurements
  • rewording of stem in second example
5.9 – Sequential list — Numbers and letters
  • clarification of explanation
  • rewording of stem in first example
  • addition of note
5.10.1 – Single characters
  • addition of reference in explanation
5.10.2.1 – Multiple letters
  • addition of reference in explanation
  • rewording of stem in example
5.10.2.2 – Alphanumeric
  • addition of reference in explanation

MAJOR modifications were made to the wording and examples of the sections and subsections listed below.

4.25.1.1 – Clock
  • reworking of entire section
4.28.1 – After periods and colons
  • deletion of points and examples regarding commas and question marks
4.40 – Negatives
  • redevelopment of entire section, including explanation and examples
5.8.4.1 – Oxford comma before final and — Exception
  • redevelopment of entire section, including explanation and examples
  • addition of note
Appendix A – Units of measurement and symbols
  • complete revision of symbols
  • addition of many words or terms and their relevant unit of measurement, symbol, ICEMS shortcut key and comments, where applicable
  • clarification of many comments

SECTIONS – DELETED (deletions are not indicated in body of content)

  • 4.12 – Who questions
  • 4.21.2.1 – Verbs ending in -ize, -yze / -izing, -yzing
  • 4.29.1 – Before commas, periods, colons and questions marks
  • 4.31 – Superscripts and subscripts

SECTIONS – ADDED

  • 4.1.1.1 – Interrogative at beginning of stem — Exception
  • 4.1.2 – Avoid long sentence(s) + question in stem
  • 4.11 – Avoid clues in stem or responses
  • 4.15 – 1 subject in the question of a stem + only 1 correct answer per response
  • 4.19.2.2 – Exceptions — Disambiguation
  • 4.22.4 – Priority of references and sources
  • 4.23.1 – Standardized spelling throughout an item bank and throughout trades
  • 4.24.4 – Minus and subtraction symbol (–) vs Range symbol (‑)
  • 4.24.5 – Possessive ’s / s’
  • 4.25.1.2 – O’clock
  • 4.37.3 – Units of measurement
  • 4.37.2 – Alignment — second value
  • 4.37.3 – Exceptions — Negative values
  • 4.38 – Measurement systems in 2 columns
  • 4.38.1 – Metric and imperial measurements
  • 4.38.2 – Non‑metric and non‑imperial measurements
  • 4.44 – Units of measurement only
  • 5.4.2.1 – What is done — Avoid creating a Taxonomy I question
  • 5.8.1 – Avoid combining 2 steps into 1 step
  • Appendix C – Standard spellings for terms with prefixes
  • Appendix D – Style guide development history

APRIL 2023
Version 1

The Style Guide must reflect Red Seal examination item development standards.

The previous version, which had been in use for nearly 20 years, was found lacking, obsolete or ambiguous in dozens of instances.

In 2022, a working group of PDOs and PDSes from many jurisdictions and an ESDC advisor was established to update the Style Guide. The principal goal was to create rules, including exceptions, covering every aspect of item development.

The new Style Guide was officially implemented at Red Seal item development workshops in Fall 2023.

The new Style Guide is an evergreen document. Minor modifications will be made to it on an ongoing basis – largely to existing examples and explanations – with a major update occurring once a year.

The Style Guide has been thoroughly modernized. This new version (v.1) is organized according to taxonomy:

  • alone (I, II and III)
  • in groups (I‑II‑III and II‑III)

These 5 sections are further subdivided, where required, into 3 subsections outlining the rules governing:

  • stems only
  • stems and responses
  • responses only

There is also an appendix that lists the abbreviations and symbols of units of measurement, and contains a capture of ICEMS’ special character grid.