CLEP Exam Information and Guideline
College Level Examination Program (All CLEP Exam Pack)
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The CLEP College Composition exam 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 College Composition exam contains approximately 50 multiple-choice questions to be answered in approximately 50 minutes and 2 mandatory, centrally scored essays to be written in 70 minutes, for a total testing time of 120 minutes. The essays are scored twice a month by college English faculty from throughout the country via an online scoring system. Each of the two essays is scored independently by at least two different readers, and the scores are then combined. This combined score is weighted approximately equally with the score from the multiple-choice section. These scores are then combined to yield the test-takers score. The resulting combined score is reported as a single scaled score between 20 and 80. Separate scores are not reported for the multiple-choice and essay sections.
Note: Although scores are provided immediately upon completion for other CLEP exams, scores for the College Composition exam are available to test takers one to two weeks after the test date. View the complete College Composition Scoring and Score Availability Dates.
The exam includes some pretest multiple-choice questions that won't be counted toward the test taker's score.
Colleges set their own credit-granting policies and therefore differ with regard to their acceptance of the College Composition exam. Most colleges will grant course credit for a first-year composition or English course that emphasizes expository writing; others will grant credit toward satisfying a liberal arts or distribution requirement in English.
The American Council on Educations College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT) has evaluated the exam and recommended the awarding of college credit for a score of 50 or above on the CLEP College Composition exam.
Conventions of Standard Written English (10%)
This section measures test takers' awareness of a variety of logical, structural, and grammatical relationships within sentences. The questions test recognition of acceptable usage relating to the items below:
Syntax (parallelism, coordination, subordination)
Sentence boundaries (comma splices, run-ons, sentence fragments)
Recognition of correct sentences
Concord/agreement (pronoun reference, case shift, and number; subject-verb; verb tense)
Diction
Modifiers
Idiom
Active/passive voice
Lack of subject in modifying word group
Logical comparison
Logical agreement
Punctuation
Revision Skills (40%)
This section measures test takers' revision skills in the context of works in progress (early drafts of essays):
Organization
Evaluation of evidence
Awareness of audience, tone, and purpose
Level of detail
Coherence between sentences and paragraphs
Sentence variety and structure
Main idea, thesis statements, and topic sentences
Rhetorical effects and emphasis
Use of language
Evaluation of author's authority and appeal
Evaluation of reasoning
Consistency of point of view
Transitions
Sentence-level errors primarily relating to the conventions of Standard Written English
Ability to Use Source Materials (25%)
This section measures test takers' familiarity with elements of the following basic reference and research skills, which are tested primarily in sets but may also be tested through stand-alone questions. In the passage-based sets, the elements listed under Revision Skills and Rhetorical Analysis may also be tested. In addition, this section will cover the following skills:
Use of reference materials
Evaluation of sources
Integration of resource material
Documentation of sources (including, but not limited to, MLA, APA, and Chicago manuals of style)
Rhetorical Analysis (25%)
This section measures test takers' ability to analyze writing. This skill is tested primarily in passage-based questions
pertaining to critical thinking, style, purpose, audience, and situation:
Appeals
Tone
Organization/structure
Rhetorical effects
Use of language
Evaluation of evidence
The Essays
In addition to the multiple-choice section, the College Composition exam includes a mandatory essay section that tests skills of argumentation, analysis, and synthesis. This section of the exam consists of two essays, both of which measure a test taker's ability to write clearly and effectively. The first essay is based on the test taker's reading, observation, or experience, while the second requires test takers to synthesize and cite two sources that are provided. Test takers have 30 minutes to write the first essay and 40 minutes to read the two sources and write the second essay. The essays must be typed on the computer.
First Essay: Directions
Write an essay in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement provided. Support your discussion with specific reasons and examples from your reading, experience, or observations.
Second Essay: Directions
This assignment requires you to write a coherent essay in which you synthesize the two sources provided. Synthesis refers to combining the sources and your position to form a cohesive, supported argument. You must develop a position and incorporate both sources. You must cite the sources whether you are paraphrasing or quoting. Refer to each source by the authors last name, the title, or by any other means that adequately identifies it.
Essay Scoring Guidelines
Readers will assign scores based on the following scoring guide.
6 – A 6 essay demonstrates a high degree of competence and sustained control, although it may have a few minor errors.
A typical essay in this category
addresses the writing task very effectively
develops ideas thoroughly, using well-chosen reasons, examples, or details for support
is clearly-focused and well-organized
demonstrates superior facility with language, using effective vocabulary and sentence variety
demonstrates strong control of the standard conventions of grammar, usage, and mechanics, though it may contain minor errors
5 – A 5 essay demonstrates a generally high degree of competence, although it will have occasional lapses in quality.
A typical essay in this category:
addresses the writing task effectively
develops ideas consistently, using appropriate reasons, examples, or details for support
is focused and organized
demonstrates facility with language, using appropriate vocabulary and some sentence variety
demonstrates consistent control of the standard conventions of grammar, usage, and mechanics, though it may contain minor errors
4 – A 4 essay demonstrates competence, with some errors and lapses in quality.
A typical essay in this category
addresses the writing task adequately
develops ideas adequately, using generally relevant reasons, examples, or details for support
is generally focused and organized
demonstrates competence with language, using adequate vocabulary and minimal sentence variety
demonstrates adequate control of the standard conventions of grammar, usage, and mechanics; errors do not interfere with meaning
3 – A 3 essay demonstrates limited competence.
A typical essay in this category exhibits one or more of the following weaknesses:
addresses the writing task, but may fail to sustain a focus or viewpoint
develops ideas unevenly, often using assertions rather than relevant reasons, examples, or details for support is poorly focused and/or poorly organized displays frequent problems in the use of language, using unvaried diction and syntax
demonstrates some control of grammar, usage, and mechanics, but with occasional shifts and inconsistencies
2 – A 2 essay is seriously flawed.
A typical essay in this category exhibits one or more of the following weaknesses:
addresses the writing task in a seriously limited or unclear manner
develops ideas thinly, providing few or no relevant reasons, examples, or details for support is unfocused and/or disorganized
displays frequent serious language errors that may interfere with meaning
demonstrates a lack of control of standard grammar, usage, and mechanics
1 – A 1 essay is fundamentally deficient.
A typical essay in this category exhibits one or more of the following weaknesses:
does not address the writing task in a meaningful way
does not develop ideas with relevant reasons, examples, or details
displays a fundamental lack of control of language that may seriously interfere with meaning
0 – Off topic.
Provides no evidence of an attempt to respond to the assigned topic, is written in a language other than English, merely copies the prompt, or consists of only keystroke characters.
* For the purposes of scoring, synthesis refers to combining the sources and the writers position to form a cohesive, supported argument.