All You Wanted to Know About the Anderson University Writing Placement and Were Afraid to Ask
1. Why do I have to take the writing placement essay?
One of your activities during SOAR will be to write an English placement essay, which is required of all new Anderson University students. The purpose of this essay is to assess your writing skills in order to enroll you in the writing course that will best meet your needs. (If you have transfer credit in writing from another institution but need to take additional writing courses at AU, the placement essay will be used for advising purposes.) The placement essay also provides your instructors with immediate information about your writing skills to help them plan your course of study.2. What writing courses will I have to take at Anderson University?
The Anderson University Catalog explains the writing program and the requirements you must meet in writing. We require students to take and complete up to two courses, the second course building on the principles taught in the first course and introducing more complex writing strategies and written forms. All four-year degree students must establish their competency at each level, either by completing the course (with a C- or better) or by waiver through their performance on the placement essay. (See No. 5 to find out how your AP test scores count.)Here is a brief description of the writing sequence:
- ENGL 1100: Rhetoric & Composition (Basic)
- ENGL 1110: Rhetoric & Composition
- ENGL 1120: Rhetoric & Research
3. How are students placed at each level?
Based on your performance on the Writing Placement test, you will be placed in either ENGL 1100, a four-hour section of our first course designed for students who need extra help with writing, or ENGL 1110, the regular three-hour section of our first course. If you have an exceptionally high SAT or ACT Verbal score, you will be considered for an ENGL 1110 waiver. (An ENGL 1110 “waiver” means you will be advanced to ENGL 1120 and will be required to complete only this last three-hour writing course.)4. How do I learn about my placement?
When you register, you will be enrolled in ENGL 0010 or ENGL 0011 (Unassigned Writing). You will be notified of your placement decision during the first scheduled meeting of ENGL 0010 or ENGL 0011.5. Do my AP Test scores count?
If you have received a score of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Language/Composition test or Literature/Composition test, and your AU placement exam is of superior quality, you will be allowed to advance to ENGL 1120. In this case, you will receive three hours of credit for ENGL 1110.6. Who evaluates my placement essay?
Faculty members from the English Department read and evaluate placement essays. We first assess how well the essay is organized and then evaluate paragraph and sentence structure, grammatical usage, and the mechanics of spelling and punctuation. We do not return placement essays, but after your classes begin you may have an opportunity to discuss the essay with your instructor.7. What materials do I need to bring with me to the test?
Paper will be provided, but you will need to bring a pen with blue or black ink.8. May I use a dictionary?
Yes, we encourage you to bring and use a dictionary.9. What will I be asked to write?
You will be asked a question that can be answered by stating a thesis (main idea) and giving reasons and examples to support it. Most students find that they can write a two-to-three page essay in the allotted 50-minute time period. The placement essay is not a test of how much you know about a topic but how coherently and accurately you are able to explain what you think about it.For more information, please contact:
Elizabeth Imafuji
Director, Writing Program
(765) 641-4427
