Examination in Writing Proficiency (EWP) Essay Scoring Guide
EWP Essay Scoring Guide
Your essay will be scored by faculty selected from throughout the
university who are trained specifically for this responsibility.
The essay topic is designed to give you an opportunity to demonstrate
your ability to write clearly and effectively. Your essay will be
evaluated on the basis of organization, development, appropriate
word choice, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and logic. It should
be well organized and well developed, and demonstrate a clear understanding
of the assignment. The writing should exhibit your ability to use
language effectively to construct sentences of appropriate complexity
and variety. There should be enough specifice information in your
essay to illlustrate a described experience or support a proposed
argument. You should complete all tasks set by the assignment.
A "pass" essay may contain some writing errors but they
should not be serious or frequent enough to distract the reader
or to suggest there are major problems in writing.
A "fail" essay will reveal one or more of the following
weaknesses: (1) serious problems of organization or focus, (2) insufficient
specific information to illustrate experiences or support arguments,
(3) serious problems in sentence structure, or (4) errors in grammar,
spelling, punctuation or word choice that are serious enough to
distract or confuse the reader.
Sample Essay Topic
The essay topic is designed to give you an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to write
clearly and effectively. Be sure to provide supporting details and examples where appropriate.
Your essay will be evaluated on the basis of organization, development, appropriate word
choice, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and logic. Remember too brief an answer is not desirable.
You have 90 minutes to write on the essay topic. You have ample time to make notes and
outline your essay before you begin to write. You also have enough time to edit your essay
after you have written it.
Sample Topic 1
A chairman of the Federal Communication Commission once described television as "a vast
wasteland". What he meant was that most network (CBS, NBC, ABC) programming wasn't fit for
an adult.
Writing Assignment: Please respond to all of the following.
 |
Do you agree or disagree with the statement? |
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Explain your reasons. |
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Provide examples to support your view. |
Sample Topic 2
In many cities throughout the United States and abroad people rely on public transportation,
while in Southern California most people travel by private automobile. Each time a gasoline
shortage occurs or is threatened, alternative forms of transportation are discussed, e.g.,
car pools, busses, subways. Most Southland residents, however, continue to prefer to drive
everywhere in their own cars.
Writing Assignment: Please respond to all of the following.
|
Why do you think Southern Californians have chosen to favor use of individual automobiles
instead of mass transportation? Be specific supporting your opinion. |
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What, if anything, do you think would make Southern Californians change their minds?
|
Sample Topic 3
Consider the following statement: "The folly of formal education has always been its attempt
to crowd everything into the requirements for a degree."
Writing Assignment: Please respond to all of the following.
|
Based on your experience as a university student, do you agree or disagree with this
position? |
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Give examples from your experience to support your position. |
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What changes in the requirements of your university education would you like to make?
|
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