Skip to Main Content

Placement Test Study Guide

Prep for the Test to do your Best!

The ESL Test SetUp

The ESL Tests examines the non-native speaker's ability to use high-level English grammar, vocabulary, & reading comprehension. Each section has 20 questions.

The 3 sections are:

1) Reading Skills: Read short passages & answer questions about them including direct questions & inferences.

2) Language Use: Evaluate grammar usage.

3) Sentence Meaning: Know & use vocabulary.

WritePlacer- The Writing Sample

The essay gives you an opportunity to show how effectively you can develop & express ideas in writing.

  • 1st: Read a short passage & assignment question focused on an important issue.
  • 2nd: Write an essay developing your own point of view on the issue.
  • 3rd: Support your position with appropriate reasoning & examples.
  • The position you take will not influence your score.

Scoring the Writing Sample

Your essay will be given a holistic score that represents how clearly & effectively you expressed your position. The following 6 characteristics of writing will be considered:

  • Purpose & Focus: Presenting information in a unified and coherent manner, clearly addressing the issue.
  • Organization & Structure: Ordering & connecting ideas.
  • Development & Support: Developing & supporting ideas.
  • Sentence Variety & Style: Crafting sentences & paragraphs, demonstrating control of vocabulary, voice & structure.
  • Mechanical Conventions: Expressing ideas using Standard Written English.
  • Critical Thinking: Communicating a point of view and demonstrating reasoned relationships among ideas.
Scores on WritePlacer range from 1 to 8. An essay that is too short to be evaluated, written on a topic other than the one presented, or written in a language other than English will be given a score of zero.

Frederick Community College prohibits discrimination against any person on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, creed, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, genetic information, marital status, mental or physical disability, national origin, race, religious affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status in its activities, admissions, educational programs, and employment.