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 Spring 2024 (or prior to Spring 2024), the online makeup test will be available from February 15, 2024 to February 28, 2024. Test results for this round of testing will be posted in your BuckeyeLink account by March 15. If you miss this make-up testing window, you will not have another opportunity to take this assessment until mid-April, 2024.
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”
- EDUTL 1901 – Introduction to Academic Writing for Multilingual Undergraduate Students is required, then EDUTL 1902.
- EDUTL 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
Students who meet one of the following criteria are exempt from the Academic English Writing Assessment:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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/RWRSN) score of 500 (or an SAT verbal [CRVB] score of 460 or greater if taken prior to 2017), or
- Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or postsecondary credit for English 1110.
- 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).