Sample essays for leanning english

Temple University English Placement Assessment
Information and Sample Essays
We hope that the following information is helpful to you in preparing for the English Placement Assessment.
The English Placement Assessment consists of one written essay. When you sign on to the Placement
Assessment website to complete your assessment, you may choose to write on one of two topics presented to
you. You have a total of 90 minutes allotted for both reading your chosen topic and writing your essay. Your
finished essay is expected to be about 350 words.
Each essay topic presents a writer’s position on an issue. You are asked to explain in your own words what the
writer is saying and then take and develop a position on the topic the writer is arguing for or against. Some of
the issues you might address include: Do you agree or disagree with the writer’s opinion totally or only to a
certain extent? Is the evidence the writer used to support his argument persuasive or weak? Can you offer a
personal experience or alternate evidence that either supports or undermines what the writer has said? As
you write your essay, you should periodically refer to statements in the passage in order to support your
argument. However, most of what you write should be in your own words except, perhaps, for a phrase or
two from the passage that you may wish to quote.
You are not evaluated based on having the “correct” position on an issue, but on how well you explain the
writer’s argument and present your own argument in an organized and grammatically correct manner.
A sample essay topic is presented below, followed by two sample essays and comments on both essays. The
first essay is considered a college-level essay that would result in placement into English 802, Analytical
Reading and Writing. The second essay is not at the college level and the writer would be placed into English
701, Introduction to Academic Discourse.

Sample Essay Topic
Periodically, certain fixtures in American society need to be re-evaluated. The eight semesters for the
attainment of a baccalaureate degree is one of those traditional fixtures that has now become
archaic. That time allotment for undergraduate higher education may have been sufficient for the
decade of the 1930’s, perhaps even for the middle 1950’s, but it is demonstrably inadequate for the
challenges of the new millennium. The world has changed, an enormous amount of knowledge has
been discovered in the last 50 years, and the time necessary to acquire the learning necessary to
function as an intelligent professional requires a radical revision --- and extension --- of the entire
academic curriculum. Young men and women cannot meet the increased challenges of professions in

the sciences, business and the humanities without more sophisticated preparation, particularly when
for the majority of these students the bachelor's degree will be the terminal point of their formal
education.
(Adapted from an editorial by Eugene Fitzgerald)


Sample Essay
(This type of essay will result in placement into English 0802, Analytical Reading & Writing.)
Eugene Fitzgerald believes that four years of undergraduate study is insufficient time to earn a
bachelor's degree. Because of the "enormous amount of knowledge" discovered in recent years, he
feels that the American educational system is in need of a radical change, one that would expand the
amount of time spent in class. Fitzgerald asserts that by increasing the time allotted to earn a
bachelor's degree, students are more likely to become successful, knowledgeable, and productive
members of society. Fitzgerald focuses only on our need to change the quantity of time spent
studying; he fails to recognize that the quality of study time is even more important.
Higher education of the 2000’s cannot be compared with that of the 1930’s. Although the number of
semesters required to earn a bachelor's degree has remained the same, the quality of learning
during those eight semesters is much higher. The use of computers has enlightened and taught
students more than was ever thought possible in the 1930’s. Science laboratories are much more
advanced, and other modern learning devices are being employed to help students gain as much
knowledge as possible.
Fitzgerald seems to think that American students should study more to be able to handle the
challenges of the modern world and become "intelligent professionals." Perhaps this is partly true,
but each student has the right to decide for him/herself how much time should be spent on learning.
If a student feels his undergraduate learning experience was inadequate, he may choose to attend
graduate school. The American educational system always welcomes any citizen with the desire to
learn.
Lastly, the tradition of the American educational system has been fixed in our minds for decades,
and the majority of Americans feel comfortable with its familiarity. There is a proverb that states, "If
it ain't broke, don't fix it." Fitzgerald is trying to "fix" our higher learning system when there is no real

proof that it is inadequate for our citizens' needs. Instead of concentrating on expanding time spent
in classrooms and lecture halls, Fitzgerald should perhaps focus on creating methods to make the
time already spent in classrooms more productive.

Essay Reader’s Comments
This essay would result in the placement of the student into English 0802 because it clearly meets
the requirements to explain the writer's position and to argue your own position on what the writer
has said. The opening summary is in the student's own words (except for a few words quoted from
the passage), and it explains Fitzgerald's point of view concerning the time needed to earn a college
degree. The student next states a position on Fitzgerald's argument ("[Fitzgerald] fails to recognize
that the quality of study time is even more important"), and supports the statement with specific
reasons for taking such a position. The student also refers back to the exam passage in the course of
the essay, pointing to Fitzgerald's idea that more learning time is needed to produce "intelligent
professionals," and suggesting that this may not always be true. The essay demonstrates both a full
comprehension of the topic text and the ability to take a position on another writer's argument in an
organized, logical and grammatically correct fashion.


Sample Essay
(This type of essay will result in placement into Introduction to Academic Discourse, English 0701,
which is a precursor to English 0802, Analytical Reading and Writing.)
In his editorial, Eugene Fitzgerald maintains the position that an enormous amount of knowledge has
been discovered in the last 50 years, and the entire academic curriculum requires a radical revision.
He points out that the time allotment for undergraduate higher education may have been sufficient
in the past decades, but it is inadequate for the challenges of the 2000’s. He suggests young men and
women cannot meet the increased challenges of the sciences, business and the humanities without a
more sophisticated preparation in college.
I agree with Fitzgerald that undergraduate courses should be updated. I feel as though the
undergraduate curriculum should be more related to the individual's field of study and that the
curriculum should be updated annually. Many mandatory undergraduate courses are not related to

your field of study. I believe this is a waste of time and money, because you could be concentrating
more on courses that are related to your major. Undergraduate courses should be updated annually
so that students can stay informed about what is going on in their field. Changes take place every
year concerning undergraduate fields of study, but many students are uninformed of the changes.
Updated material concerning undergraduates should be taken seriously.
Undergraduates are the future of America, and someone at the appointed universities should be
responsible for seeing that students receive information annually concerning their field.
Undergraduate courses should be made to relate more closely to one's desired field of study. Courses
should be updated annually so that our leaders of tomorrow can stay on top of their fields and so that
they do not waste their time studying things that will not be important in their careers.

Essay Reader’s Comments
This essay would result in the placement of the student into English 0701 for several important
reasons. To begin, the student writer does not follow the assessment directions to summarize the
passage in your own words. The student instead uses Fitzgerald's words, and the opening paragraph
of the essay is little more than a rearrangement of lines from the topic text. The aim in requiring
students to summarize is to see how competently you can read and explain a text. A summary that is
not in your own words fails to demonstrate your real understanding of the passage. In addition, the
student's own argument is not relevant to the passage. The student misinterprets the passage to
mean that college courses should be "updated," and then discusses how colleges can improve the
undergraduate curriculum. However, this is not what Fitzgerald has said in the passage. Once again,
the student does not follow the assessment instructions. Students must take a position in response to
the writer's argument, and discuss their own ideas about the argument presented in the topic. Since
the essay is off-topic, the student has failed to present a focused argument directly tied to Fitzgerald's
text.