The Freshman Comp I Exit Exam
About the Exit Exam - This explains the scope and purpose of the exam.
How the Exam is graded - How indeed?
AnchorSet for Summer 2004 - Essays that will be used as evaluation criteria for Summer 2004. Please realize that these are not the topics that will be used for the actual exam. Topics are unique for each sitting and kept secure until testng begins.
AnchorSet for Fall 2004 - These are the essays that will be used by faculty evaluators for Fall 2004. They represent the criteria levels of the exam. Please realize that the topics are not ones that can be expected on the Fall 2004 exam. These essays are consistently graded exams from Summer 2004 and only represent examples for grading.
What sort of topics are used on the Exit Exam?
Sample Topics for the Exit Exam - Browse these topics from past exams.
About the Exit Exam
The Exit Exam is a competency and barrier exam administered at the end of ENC 1101 Freshman Composition I at Valencia College. The exam is a timed writing exercise that assesses grammatical and organizational skills. Students are given two hours to complete a 450-500 word essay on one of two topics they receive at the beginning of the exam.
For success, writers need good information and good examples. Good information comes from things you know about. Good examples come from your experiences. The more you know about a topic, the easier it is to write.
How the Exam is Graded
Students must receive a passing evaluation on the exam as well as a passing grade in the class to successfully complete the course.
The essays are read by at least two English faculty evaluators and assessed on a 6 point scale based on the CLAST grading rubric, with 1 being the lowest score and 6 being the highest. To pass, an essay must receive at least two 3's. Should an essay receive one 3 (pass) and one 3 (fail), the essay is evaluated by a third reader.
About the Exit Exam
A 6 Graded Sample Essay - from Spring Term of 2003 with comments.
Hey Yo! It's Cousin Charlie! - A 3+ graded essay from 2003-2004 with comments.
AnchorSet for Summer 2004
For every grading session, representative essays are selected as models (anchors) for the rubric levels. The following essays will be used for the Summer 2004 Grading Session. These are not the topics that will be used for the actual exam.
- Score 2-2 Topic: A skill needed in college
- Score 3-2-3 Topic: A place every student should visit
- Score 3-3 Topic: A product that people would be better off without
- Score 4-4 Topic: A good way to prepare for an exam
- Score 5-5 Topic: A product that people would be better off without
- Score 6-6 Topic: A college course that has taught more than expected
Summer 2004
AnchorSets
AnchorSets are the models faculty evaluators use to score student essays. They are used to mainatin consistent assessment methods from one term to the next.
AnchorSet for Fall 2004
The following essays will be used for the Fall 2004 Grading Session. These are not the topics that will be used for the actual exam.
- Score 2-2 Topic: A place to get a good meal at a fair price This essay is an example of a 2-2 essay. It is a fail.
- Score 2-3-2 Topic: A type of dishonesty that is condoned by society. This is an essay that barely failed the essay exam.
- Score 3-3 Topic: An organization that provides valuable service
- Score 4-4 Topic: A product that does or does not perform as advertised
- Score 5-5 Topic: A Course that has made a difference in my life