Writing Center

Writing Proficiency Exam (sample) Fall 2001

Your response to the following assignment should reflect your ability as an academic writer.  Do your best to develop your essay clearly and thoughtfully.

The Preparation:

In the article "College Bill Amounts to Forced Servitude” reporter Beth Henary  presents her opinion about colleges requiring students to complete 28 hours of public service as a requirement for graduation. She begins her article by discussing the proposed legislation that would require college students to perform 28 hours of public service during any one semester they are in school.  Some institutions, such as The Ayn Rand Institute believe that students should be “drafted” into public service.  However, Henary states that many college students are already involved in public service through volunteer activities, and mandating forced “volunteerism” would not be a good idea.

Sample Writing Assignment:

For this sample topic, write a two to four page essay in which you agree/disagree with the following statement: 

Public service is a good thing when it is voluntary.

Note:  The topic will be different the day of the exam. The topic stated above is just for practice.

In order to develop your essay, you could examine several points stated in the article. You might discuss how public service benefits both a student and the public. Or you might argue that public service (volunteerism) is not good for everyone. Regardless of how you choose to develop your essay, you should use clear, specific examples to support your main points.  Your examples should be detailed and should reflect your understanding of the topic. In addition, the essay should be effectively organized and easy to follow. It is important, too, that you give credit to the article when you use ideas from it.

Evaluation Criteria:  The readers will use the following criteria in order to evaluate your essay.  Asking yourself these questions will help you meet the standards for this exam.

1. Does my essay present a clear thesis? 
2. Are all of my points developed with clear support? 
3. Is my essay logical?  Does it make sense, and are my ideas reasonable? 
4. Have I given credit to the article when I used ideas from it? 
5. Is my paper organized effectively, both overall, and within each discussion section? 
6. Is my paper focused on the topic?  Have I stayed on topic throughout the essay? 
7. Are my grammar, spelling, and word usage up to the standards needed for a writing exit exam?