ACCUPLACER Essay Test Prep

Key Points:

ACCUPLACER essay topics require students to answer a prompt that asks them to select a side or position on a topic.
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If you want the best chance at passing the ACCUPLACER then the Smart Edition ACCUPLACER course will provide all the material and resources you need to succeed on the test.

The ACCUPLACER essay is expected to be five paragraphs long or about 300-700 words. The ACCUPLACER essay scores range from 1-8 with 8 being a perfect score demonstrating mastery in on-demand essay writing. Test takers are scored on using written standard English to convey their ideas, essay structure and development, applying critical thinking, and mechanical conventions.

Potential ACCUPLACER essay topics require students to answer a prompt asking them to select a side or position on a topic, such as if art is a beneficial subject to learn in school or if uniforms in school should be required.

How do you write an ACCUPLACER essay?

The ACCUPLACER essay, otherwise referred to as the WriterPlacer, should be written as a concise five paragraph essay.The essay will be argumentative thus requiring the test taker to select a side and support their argument through their writing.

There isn’t a right or wrong stance to take, the important part is that you can demonstrate the ability to support your argument in the form of an essay.

Test takers should aim for the essay to be anywhere between 300-700 words. Each essay should include an introduction paragraph, three supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. Each paragraph should have 5-8 sentences.

The essay should not include any outside resources or knowledge. Instead, test takers should utilize the contents provided to them during the test and use the passages as their primary sources.

ACCUPLACER Essay Tips

There are a few things to keep in mind when writing the essay that can help you boost your score.

First, make sure to read the prompt carefully and understand what it is asking. The prompt will give you a specific task to complete in your essay like choosing a position and arguing that position, so make sure to address that task directly.

Next, writers need to make sure they understand the importance of transition words. Transition words help essays maintain organization and allow for writers to transition from one idea to the next to maintain cohesiveness.

Transition words should be included in each of the five paragraphs. Examples of transition words or phrases include furthermore, next, in conclusion, in addition to, finally, and moreover.

Next, students should remember when writing the essay to select a position and maintain that position for the entire essay.

The best way to maintain a clear argument or stance is to spend a few minutes critically thinking about the prompt and jotting down the reasons and supporting details of your stance before writing.

This outline and brainstorming session will serve as a guide as you write the paragraphs. Be sure to include the three main reasons you argue your position in the introductory paragraph and to summarize them in the conclusion paragraph.

Lastly, while each ACCUPLACER administrator has different specifications about time limits, it’s important to spend a few minutes reading through the final essay before submitting.

Even great writers who express their thoughts clearly can lose points from misspellings, improper use of punctuation, or by making grammar errors. Spend the time to review your essay and reread it to yourself to ensure it flows correctly and that everything is correct.

WritePlacer Scoring

The ACCUPLACER essay is scored on a 0-8 ranking system. If test takers write the essay in a language other than English, write an essay on a completely different topic, or don’t meet the minimum word count, they will be scored a zero.

Test takers are not graded on their stance, instead they are graded on how they express their ideas in writing to support their stance. High scores will be awarded to writers who demonstrate proper grammar, sentence and paragraph structure, and who can articulate their ideas clearly.

Furthermore, students will be scored on their organization skills, how the essay is developed, and mechanical application of writing.

For example, essays should avoid spelling errors, include transition words, and proper punctuation throughout the five paragraphs. Each paragraph should stick to its main topic and support the overall main idea or stance.

Here is a breakdown of the WritePlacer Scoring according to the official ACCUPLACER site:

Scores from 0-1 indicate the test taker has no mastery in essay writing on demand.
Scores from 2-3 indicate the test taker has little mastery in writing on demand.
Scores from 4-5 indicate the test taker has a grasp of writing essays on demand and they are developing their skills.
Scores from 6-7 indicate the writer has a consistent understanding and ability to write on demand.
A perfect 8 score indicates the writer has mastered all required skills to write an essay on demand.

What is a good ACCUPLACER essay score?

A good ACCUPLACER essay score would be in the range 5-8, with 8 being a perfect score. Test takers are evaluated on various criteria such as their logic and focus of writing, organizing of their writing, development of the essay, mechanical conventions, and sentence style.

What type of essay is on the ACCUPLACER?

The ACCUPLACER essay expects test takers to choose a stance and share their point of view on an issue or question that is presented to them after reading a short passage.

Writers are not graded on their answer, but instead are graded on how they express their idea in writing to support their position.

Writers should include reasoning, logic, and examples available to them in the passage. Students will have to demonstrate clear focus in their writing as well as organized ideas and a cohesive essay, strong development of ideas, proper sentence structure and style, correct usage of written English, and critical thinking skills on demand.

Example ACCUPLACER Essay Topics

Students will have to write a five paragraph essay based on a short passage and prompt. The prompts will ask students to answer a question and support their stance. Examples of potential prompts include:

Can a disadvantage or hardship be turned into something good or positive?
Is art something that students benefit from learning about in school?
Should senior citizens over the age of 65 be required to retake a driver’s license exam?
Should school uniforms be required or not?

ACCUPLACER Online Course

If you want the best chance for scoring high then the Smart Edition ACCUPLACER course will provide all the material and resources you need to succeed on the test.