The complexity of writing as a skill domain and the lack of consensus about its components have engendered much controversy about the type, length, or number of tasks that should be administered in a given test form and even about whether some aspects of composition require direct assessment through writing samples. Acknowledging this, a study was conducted to examine the comparability of writing competency profiles derived from test tasks differing in discourse and response mode. Two hundred high school students were given a multiple choice test and a paragraph writing task, as well as two full-length essay assignments. Ratings of the essays and paragraph on an analytic scale and scores on the objective test provided the bases for comparisons. Results indicated that levels of performance varied on tasks presenting different writing purposes. Also shown was that repeated applications of the scoring rubric produced measures that taped the same underlying content. In addition, factors reflecting the content of the writing subscale were strongly intercorrelated, a factor which is present no matter what response mode the subjects were assessed in. (HOD)