Academic English Writing Assessment for Undergraduate Students
Incoming international students, including transfer students, are required to demonstrate writing proficiency in academic English. Students who do not meet specific exemptions are required to take the Academic English Writing Assessment (formerly ESL Composition Placement Test). They will be contacted at their OSU email address with instructions for taking the online test.
For students admitted for Autumn 2025, the final online testing window before the start of the Autumn semester will run from August 1, 2025 to August 17, 2025. Please look for an email from our office with the instructions you need to follow to schedule your online testing session and feel free to contact us at AEWP-Assessment@osu.edu if you have any questions.

Taking the Academic English Writing Assessment Online
Academic English Writing Assessment – What to expect
After the Academic English Writing Assessment
- Go to BuckeyeLink
- Click on “Student Center”
- Click on “Generate Advising Report”
- Look under “Test Results” for “IELP WRITE”
- TLIELP 1901 – Introduction to Academic Writing for Multilingual Undergraduate Students is required, then TLIELP 1902.
- TLIELP 1902 – Advanced Academic Writing for Multilingual Undergraduate Students is required, then a Writing and Information Literacy course.
- Qualify (“80 Q”) – No Academic English Writing coursework is required. Students are eligible to enroll in a Writing and Information Literacy course.
- This score shows up as 2000 in Carmen.
Exemptions
- Those who score on the internet-based (iBT) TOEFL (obtained within the last two years)
- 114 or higher, or
- 101 or higher and a 28 on the Writing section
- Note: Scores at these levels – which are higher than those required for admission – indicate that a student has already demonstrated sufficient writing proficiency. These scores must be posted to Buckeye Link.
- Those who score on the IELTS (obtained within the last two years)
- 9.0 or higher (Overall Band Score), or
- 8.0 or higher (Overall Band Score) and 8.0 Academic Writing module
- Note: Scores at these levels – which are higher than those required for admission – indicate that a student has already demonstrated sufficient writing proficiency. These scores must be posted to Buckeye Link.
- Those who are citizens of the following countries or regions: Australia, Belize, the British Caribbean and British West Indies, Canada (except Quebec), England, Ghana, Guyana, Ireland, Liberia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Singapore, Scotland, the United States and Wales.
- New first term undergraduate freshmen who attended a U.S. high school for two or more years and graduated from that high school, and who have:
- an ACT English score of 19 or greater, or
- an SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) score of 500 or SAT Verbal (CRVB) score of 460 or greater, or
- Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or postsecondary credit for English 1110.
- The scores and high school transcript must be posted to Buckeye Link.
- New undergraduate transfer students who attended a U.S. institution of higher education and are transferring in a course for English 1110 credit (not general English credit). The credit must be posted to Buckeye Link.