<p>Exactly how does UMass Amherst score the Writing Placement Exam. I received a numerical score and don’t know what it means.</p>
Scoring Criteria for Placement Exams
SIX: - Essay has the feel of a finished piece
- Sophisticated use of an example(s)
- Perhaps complicates the issue: considers different perspectives
- Sentences fluid and graceful
FIVE: - Essay moves well from beginning to end
-Sustained development of an example(s), or an example that extends the argument, or
making thoughtful connections among examples
-Incorporates passages smoothly into own sentences and to support argument
-Complex, well-written sentences
FOUR: - Solid essay draft – intro with thesis statement, body, conclusion
- Moves between general claim(s) and specific example(s), but example(s) not well developed
- Cites relevant passages
- Language might be more for style than to promote the argument
- Good control of grammar and syntax
THREE: - Essay has the feel of a first draft and holds together as a piece
- Could be a long summary or general analysis without much specific detail (good vs. bad)
- Might over-rely on passage citations or quote large chunks of the passage
- Sentence-level errors do not interfere with comprehension – errors might include run-ons, misspellings, fragments, and might be of the same type throughout
TWO: - Essay has the feel of a rough draft with little or no organizational strategy
- Minimal development – could be too short, could rephrase one point, could jump from point to point
- Opening paragraph does not set the stage for the rest of the piece, or lack of coherence between paragraphs
- Sentence-level errors are frequent and may interfere with comprehension
ONE: - Little or no sense of essay form
- Little or no development (e.g., could be one page or less)
- If divided into paragraphs, lack of coherence within paragraphs
- Sentence-level errors interfere with comprehension
By the way, what was your essay prompt ?
The online writing placement exam is new this year. Previously students hand wrote the placement exam during summer NSO. So I am not sure what the numbers mean exactly because I have never seen them before.
However, there are 3 options that the writing exam will place you into.
- The majority of students place into English Writing 112, which is just “college writing” which is a requirement that everyone needs to fulfill
- Very few people do extremely well and have the option to exempt themselves from the requirement altogether
- Some people do not do as well and are placed into English Writing 111, “basic writing” which they must take before taking 112.
Since Zarada has shared a scoring criteria of 1-6, I guess that maybe 1 or 2 means 111; 3, 4, 5 means 112, and then maybe some people with 6’s will end up not needing to take college writing.
That is just my GUESS. I actually do not know for certain at all.
Once you get to summer NSO and pick classes, I am sure that whoever you are working with can provide any answers to your questions.