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ENGLISH WRITING PLACEMENT TEST

Fill in the form

Part One: General Information About You

Today’s Date _____________________
Mr.	Mrs.	Ms.	Miss	(Please circle one and print information requested below.)
Name	_____________________________________________________________
	First Last

Street _____________________________________

Apt# ___________________

City ______________________________________	State/Province____________
Country __________________________________	Zip/Postal Code ___________

Email Address: ____________________________________________________

Age (check one):	___ 14 - 16	___17 - 21	___ 22 - 29
	___ 30 - 39	___ 40 - 49	___ 50 - 59	___ 60 +

Home telephone:

(_______)_____________________________________________

Your occupation:

_____________________________________________________

Education (check one):

	___ some high school	___ college graduate
	___ high school graduate	___ some post-graduate
	___ some college	___ post-graduate degree

Special interests/hobbies:_______________________________________________

Which book have you enjoyed recently?_____________________________________

What magazines/newspapers do you read? __________________________________

Start writing

Part One (cont.): Why are you interested in writing?

In a brief paragraph, give us some background on your interest in writing. How long have you had this interest? How did it develop?

______________________________________________________________________

Part Two: Think like a writer

An essential task for any writer is careful observation. The people you write about must “come alive on the page.” In this exercise, select the important details that distinguish the person you’re describing. In 30-50 words, describe one of the following:

a person in a long supermarket line with an inept clerk at the checkout counter
a member of your family trying to deal with a cantankerous relative.
a person telling his/her spouse about a promotion

Tip: Look for facial expressions, gestures, body language, and clothing style; listen for voice inflections.

Example:
Bundled in a hairy overcoat, the man drummed his fingers on a box of oatmeal, tapped his feet, rolled his eyes, and set his lips in a thin straight line. Finally, he shrugged. Muttering something inaudible, he stomped off, abandoning his crammed shopping cart.

______________________________________________________________________

Part Three: Tap into your experience

Many beginning writers start with what they know. Over the years, your job, reading, education, training, hobbies, and interests have given you a wealth of knowledge. Capitalize on what you know by turning that information into a how-to.

Write step-by-step instructions to show a reader how to do something that you know well. Choose a skill that can be described briefly, perhaps in 10 steps. Select from the list below, or use a topic of your own.

Suggestions:

how to bait a hook for trout
how to change a tire
how to make a fried egg sandwich
how to prune a rosebush
how to make pastry dough

Tip: You don’t have to be serious. A light touch can be effective and entertaining.

Title: How to___________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Part Four: Focus on a subject to write about

In this part, you will take another step toward becoming a writer. To begin, think of several events that you have experienced or observed. They can be funny, annoying, or heartfelt.

You may think of your first date, a holiday celebration, a championship game, a childhood escapade, or an incident involving your first car. The person involved may be you or someone you know.

Now, on the following lines, make a list of three to five of these events that you could write about.

______________________________________________________________________

Now continue this writing experience in Part 6.

Part Five: Write from your life

Look back at the events you listed in Part 5. Think about how you could write about each of them in a way that would allow readers to share what you experienced or observed. Now choose the one event that you most want to write about. As you think about it, consider the following:

What happened?
Where did it take place?
Who was involved?

Tip: Not all details are necessary. Choose those that will make this event memorable to your reader. (No poetry, please.)

It’s best to outline your idea and write the first draft on a separate piece of paper. Your final draft should be between 250 and 500 words.

We’ll be looking for originality, style, and your aptitude for conveying ideas and feelings. Grammar and punctuation are important, of course, but our main interest in this exercise is how you express yourself.

______________________________________________________________________

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