The Writing Proficiency Exam Preparation Workshops

Extended Workshops
Three-hour Extended Workshops are offered the Friday before each scheduled Writing Proficiency Exam.  The Extended Workshops not only give you an idea of what to expect on the exam, they also give you practice in analyzing exam prompts, generating ideas, organizing your ideas, and developing support for your ideas. 

One-Hour Workshops
The One-Hour Orientation Workshops give an overview of what to expect on the exam, including how to use your time, ways to analyze the prompt you have chosen, and methods of brainstorming, supporting and organizing your essay.

Spring 2008 Workshop Schedule

Note:
The Extended Workshops can be very helpful in giving you skills and practice for approaching the WPE.  However, no workshop can help you to improve serious writing issues, such as awkward, incomplete, or run-on sentences; poor spelling, limited vocabulary; problems in selecting the correct word; and problems in organizing and adequately supporting your ideas; or problems in basic English usage.  These take time, work, and practice to remedy.

WPE Self-Workshop

If you cannot make it to a WPE Orientation Workshop and still want information about what to expect on the WPE, use the attached files to find out what the WPE Readers are looking for in an essay, how they score essays, practice analyzing the essay prompt you choose, brainstorm for ideas, and organize your ideas for the essay.

Please see the links below for helpful materials regarding the exam:

Agenda--Step by Step through the Writing Process

Six Traits of Good Writing

Exam Rubric--What the Readers are Looking For

The Five Prompt Analysis Questions

Sample Prompts for Analysis

Sheet for Rhetorical Analysis of Prompts

Brainstorming--You Know More Than You Think You Do!

Mind Mapping--Generating and Organizing Your Ideas

Two-Column Notes Using Prompt-Organizing and Developing Support for Your Ideas

Sample WPE Prompt #1

Sample WPE Prompt #2

Joyce Munro, Director
C201 A. Alfred Taubman Student Services Center
Phone 248.204.4125
E-mail:  munro@ltu.edu