Course

Course Summary

Credit Type:

Exam

ACE ID:

CLEP-0040

Organization:

College Board's College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)

Dates Offered:

Credit Recommendation & Competencies

Level	Credits (SH)	Subject
Lower-Division Baccalaureate	6	College Composition, Writing, or English Composition

Credit is recommended for candidates scoring 50 and above.

Description

Objective:

The CLEP College Composition examination assesses writing skills taught in most first-year college composition courses. Those skills include analysis, argumentation, synthesis, usage, ability to recognize logical development, and research. The exam cannot cover every skill (such as keeping a journal or peer editing) required in many first-year college writing courses. Test-takers will, however, be expected to apply the principles and conventions used in longer writing projects to two timed writing assignments and to apply the rules of standard written English.The College Composition exam contains multiple-choice items and two mandatory, centrally scored essays. College English faculty from throughout the country convene twice a month to score the essays via an online scoring system. Each of the two essays is scored independently by at least two different readers.

Skills Measured:

The College Composition examination requires candidates to demonstrate their knowledge of the fundamental principles of rhetoric and composition and their ability to apply the principles of standard written English. In addition, the exam requires familiarity with research and reference skills. In one of the essays, test takers must develop a position by building an argument in which they synthesize information from two provided sources, which they must cite. The requirement that test takers cite the sources they use reflects the recognition of source attribution as an essential skill in college writing courses. The skills measured include conventions of standard written English (10 percent); revision skills (40 percent); ability to use source materials (25 percent); and rhetorical analysis (25 percent).

Instruction & Assessment