effective writing

[thinmyster]

hey i was just wondering if anyone has had to take the effective writing exam in university? I'm just wondering cause my exam is on the 17. Any thoughts/suggestions/comments? Were you guys successful? I did quite well on the written portion of my diploma just not the reading.. GO figure?

[YCB]

i had to write it twice... its just a huge scam to get 50 bux from you... my other friend had to write it 3 times.. just write lots.. about 3 -4 pages...

[604-Mico]

^^
Not to be an ass but then its not the university's fault your english skills werent at par with their expectations

Besides, i believe you can avoid taking the test if you get a certain mark in high school english or a english humanities course (correct me if im mistaken)

Just dont go on msn or icq and chat the night before or else your grammar will be very bad the next morning :)

You'll do fine

[thinmyster]

why did you end up having to write it twice? hard,tricky,confusing or are you just not an essay writter. How hard do they mark you?

[t-im]

That test was the easiest thing i've ever written.
In the end I didn't have to write it because the following year I aced an easy engl class.
If you have an 75% or 80% in eng (HS)l you don't have to take it..Or if you do those effective writing classes (which sounds like a waste of time)

A friend did it with me and that was the 3rd time she failed it....and I reallly didn't think it was that difficult...people just make it harder then it really is.

But all in all, all you need to do is make sure your grammar is correct and that your spelling is on par, and choose the easier topic. Most told me not to write on Shakespeare so I choose a topic where it was like "reality shows, what is your opinion on them/the impact on society"..or something like that..all I did was name reality shows and explain it. haha


Originally posted by thinmyster
I did quite well on the written portion of my diploma just not the reading.. GO figure?

Have you taken an engl class yet in Uni????..cause if you need to (program req, etc) try that before taking the test.

[thinmyster]

no I can't apply for any more classes until I pass the exam

[t-im]

Originally posted by thinmyster
no I can't apply for any more classes until I pass the exam

oh, so you're in 2nd yr and you waited till the last moment to do it right? A friend was in the same predicament and she just went and talked with someone and they let her register..and I think she did okay in another engl class.....im pretty sure she didn't bother redoing the test.

[Weapon_R]

Take an english course and do well in it and you won't have to write that test.

My highschool english grades were poor, but I did reasonably well in Eng 231 and was exempt from the effective writing.

From what i've heard, most people find it really easy. They are not looking for how well you can write an essay, but how well your writing skills and grammar skills are.

[pints]

Nearly failed high school english, got out of the test though by taking Engl 231. Just shoot for the B-.

[eblend]

I took the exam, i thought i wrote a pretty good paper but passed only marginally. My girlfriend who been in canada for 9 years failed it first time around, but got a b- in an english class so she didn't have to take it again.

If you ask me, i think they are a lil rough on marking it, i mean it seems that to get a normal pass u have to have english skills beyond what you will need at university. Or maybe my bs story i wrote was just crapppy haha, but yah, its okay, it sucks if u fail though cuz thats like throwing 50 bucks away

[thinmyster]

yah well I already payed for it but maybe they will let me take an english class instead ill have to take one anyways?

[EDM]

Originally posted by eblend
I took the exam, i thought i wrote a pretty good paper but passed only marginally.

me too :(

damn that was a while ago now.

[thinmyster]

should I talk to the registrar instead or someone in the english department? hmmm i'll see what I can find out but they didnt mention taking an English course instead of taking the test?

[eblend]

yah u can take an english course and get a b- in it and ur good

or i believe there is actually a whole couase on effective writing, but it slike 500 bucks or something, better just take the test

[Skyline_Addict]

most important thing you need to remember when writing a test like this.

keep it simple, and straight to the point.

university markers absolutely HATE people who have a poor train of thought and go off topic too much. they will punish you severely for it too, no matter how good your grammar and punctation and word usage is.

[kenny]

Do not take anyones advice that says to write as much as possible. In fact, in the effective writing exam you should write as little as possible needed to cover all the points.

When I did the exam I wrote about 1 page. I passed on the first try. The more you write, the more they can find wrong with the piece of work.

[joseph]

:werd: Keep it simple and straight to the point and make sure its properly formatted. I only had to take it once.:D

[Skyline_Addict]

yes. basically, do not say more than you NEED to.
you do not get extra marks for writing more!
in fact, you will lose marks for writing stuff that is not needed/irrelevant to your topic. you can easily pass this test using the average vocabulary of a grade 11 or 12 student. it's all about what you write, and how you present it that will get you the bulk of the marks.
minor spelling errors, word usage errors or punctuation errors will not punish you as much.

[thinmyster]

thanks guys ill keep that in mind. I think all I really need to work on are my introductions and conclusions and i should be good

[Street_Soldier]

Yeah I wrote it a few times.
Infact I didn't pass it until I was in my second year.
Lets say for some reason you don't pass the test this year. You can always get an extention, its really easy just go to 2nd floor SS and fill out this form. Extensions usually give you another semester. So if you don't pass don't feel bad, there is still hope.

Before I passed I went and met with one of the effective writing tutors, I suggest you do the same. They will ask you to write a paper, (sample test questions are in the effective writing center) and time yourself while writing the paper (3 hours max). Bring them your paper and they will go over it with you. Telling you what you are doing wrong etc. It's a really good idea. Well Good Luck.

[Zero102]

That test is so easy.
I never studied for it, walked in, wrote about 1/2-2/3 of the reccomended essay length, and got a pass. The topics were super-easy to come up with things to talk about, and all you have to do is use a few big words in the correct context, and use correct grammar, and all is well.

[t-im]

Originally posted by Zero102
That test is so easy.
I never studied for it, walked in, wrote about 1/2-2/3 of the reccomended essay length, and got a pass. The topics were super-easy to come up with things to talk about, and all you have to do is use a few big words in the correct context, and use correct grammar, and all is well.

Word, I agree.
There is NOTHING you can do to prepare for this...except get a good nights rest and not to worry!

[kiwi]

Originally posted by thinmyster
hey i was just wondering if anyone has had to take the effective writing exam in university? I'm just wondering cause my exam is on the 17. Any thoughts/suggestions/comments? Were you guys successful? I did quite well on the written portion of my diploma just not the reading.. GO figure?

I had to take this test twice, but English has always been my worst subject... =P
I knew a friend that had to write it 7 times! At the time, the U was building the ICT building, so she often joked about how she paid for that! ha ha

Anyways, since you said that you did well on the written portion for your diploma, then I don't see why you should worry... the effective writing is just writing! lol

[thinmyster]

hey someone post a sample topic type question that i can practice on. preferably something that you wrote on

[kiwi]

If I remember correctly, my topic was about some farmer that killed his daughter because she had down's syndrome or something like that, so he was trying to end her misery. He was of course charged for murder. Do you think it was right or wrong...

Something along those lines... this was 5 year ago! lol

[thinmyster]

yah I remember thanks anyways that will work

[t-im]

My topic was like "what do you think the impact of Reality tv shows have on society"

something along those lines

isn't their a effecitve writing website that has examples and tips?

goodluck tho!

[thinmyster]

yah ive tryed a few of them aswell
thanks for the help anyways

[thinmyster]

woot woot I got my extension for english but im still going to write the exam tonight.. but for now i have to choose a english course im thinking 231? intro to fiction? any suggestions

[kiwi]

During my first year, I took Engl 202. It's a full year course, but IMO, it was easier than all the other courses. At the time, the course consisted of 3 modules (poetry, plays & short stories). For each module, we had to write 2 essays: a short one (200words), and a longer one (400 words). There was one multiple choice test at the end of each module, so overall, the class was very slack! I'm not sure if it's still like that, but while I was taking it, my friends that took Engl 231 had to write essays for their final exams, & I didn't have to do that =)

[Aleks]

Originally posted by thinmyster
yah well I already payed for it but maybe they will let me take an english class instead ill have to take one anyways?

You mean you paid for it right?
Writing Payed when you mean Paid will make you fail the exam. It's the little things like that they pick on. I'm sure you know the difference, just be careful when you write the paper! GL.

[kiwi]

Originally posted by Aleks
You mean you paid for it right?
Writing Payed when you mean Paid will make you fail the exam. It's the little things like that they pick on. I'm sure you know the difference, just be careful when you write the paper! GL.


Originally posted by thinmyster
yah ive tryed a few of them aswell
thanks for the help anyways

lol, & tryed = tried

[thinmyster]

oh dang hahaha thats not a good start for my afternoon
but yeah i know the difference
thanks for pointing that out and hightening my insecurities

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by thinmyster
oh dang hahaha thats not a good start for my afternoon
but yeah i know the difference
thanks for pointing that out and hightening my insecurities Heightening.

Hahaha jk good luck man!

[thinmyster]

yah i just finished... and good thing i had my dictionary hahah as you guy so discreetly pointed out. It went okay but not the best essay ive ever written

doesnt really matter if i pass but i still want to do good. we will just have to see what happens

[soupey]

i took it and passed it first shot earlier this yr

dont make it too long if you dont need to, longer = more chance for mistakes

just keep reviewing what you wrote, every little mistake will go against you, they're looking for grammar, structure, spelling moreso than ideas...so just make sure you check and recheck what uve written as much as u can


guess im a lil late i had a few friedns writin this 2day, jus never usually look at this thread:p. good luck