GWAR Booklet
- Answers to Questions Often Asked About GWAR/GWE -
- What is the GWE?
- What should students bring to the examination?
- How many times can the test be taken?
- Can one prepare for the test?
- Is the student's attitude important in taking the test?
- When should the test be taken
- What does the GWE evaluate?
- How are students notified of the results of the test?
- Is there counseling for students who do not pass the GWE?
- Can the results of the test be appealed?
- What happens if students have registered but miss the test date, or if students have paid for the test but do not need to take it?
- What is the Composition Cooperative (Comp Coop)?
- When should the certifying course be taken?
- Can certification of writing competency be transferred from another institution?
- Are other kinds of exceptions to the requirement other than those listed in the handbook and/or University Catalogue ever granted?
- What is the best course of action for students who have difficulty meeting the GWAR?
- If my $35 check or money order is returned unpaid, can my score or grades be withheld?
The GWE is a one-hour examination in which students write an extemporaneous essay responding to a specified topic given to them when the test is administered. The topics are screened and pre-tested to ensure that they function well for the purposes of this examination.
Students should bring the GWE Admission Ticket stamped “paid” by the Testing Office and their student ID card. If they do not have a student ID card, then they should bring positive photo identification (e.g. valid driver's license, passport, citizenship card (with photo), or a military ID). Students should also bring and two black or blue pens and pencils with dark lead. Students also may bring a dictionary and/or a thesaurus. Electronic dictionaries and thesauruses are acceptable as long as they do not emit sound and do not have grammar-check. A blue book will be provided at the time of the test. Please note that you will not be admitted to the examination without your GWE Admission Ticket.
Twice.
Students who do not pass after two times must take one of the certifying courses: ENG 350 or IDS 397 and 398. Subsequent attempts at registering for the GWE after a second failure will be blocked. A student who took the GWE twice in the past as an undergraduate and earned a score of 7 may take the test twice again as a graduate student, if necessary, to earn an 8.
Students cannot prepare for the GWE in the same manner that they prepare for an essay examination in a course. Writing skills are acquired and refined over a period of time through instruction and practice. To get a better understanding of the GWE itself and what is expected of a passing essay, students can sign up for the preparation workshops at the time they register for the exam. Workshops are given a week before each exam. Students also can benefit from a review of grammar and mechanics as found in any standard English handbook.
Definitely. All tests cause anxiety to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the individual. Everyone, including seasoned professional writers, experiences a certain amount of "writing anxiety." However, with a constructive attitude, students can often channel this anxiety into creative energy. The worst thing to do is to "fight the test" or to resist the requirement. Our advice is to attend a workshop, get a good night's sleep before the day of the test, try not to worry about it or to anticipate its topic, and come with a positive outlook, confident of a successful performance.
Undergraduates who began their baccalaureate program at Dominguez Hills should take the test within two semesters after completing the English Composition section of the Basic Skills requirements of General Studies (or after completing 72 semester units total, whichever comes last). Upper-division transfer students should take the test within two semesters of their transfer to CSUDH. Graduate students should take the test within the first nine units. Candidates for Teaching Credentials who are not seeking graduate degrees are not required to satisfy the GWAR at this time and need not take the GWE. Candidates having met the GWAR at another CSU campus in 1984 or later before enrolling at CSUDH also are not required to take the GWE (see page 4, item 4), but must file and have approved a Petition for Exemption with the testing Office. Undergraduates who fail to take the test in a timely manner may be required to enroll in one of the certifying courses. See the Academic Skills Assessment Plan in the University Catalog for further information.
The GWE Scoring Guide defines the standards or criteria that the readers use to evaluate each test. In general, the GWE is designed to measure the student's ability to follow directions and complete specified tasks of the assignment, to compose an organized essay, to support ideas with specific examples, to use correct grammar and mechanics, and to use language effectively. Since the essay is essentially a first draft written within a limited amount of time, perfection is not expected, even for the score of 12.
By mail, usually five (5) weeks following the examination. Students should not call for results. If students have not received their results after five (5) weeks, they should contact the Testing Office, Welch Hall A-210, (310) 243-3909 or at testing@csudh.edu.
Students who do not pass the test may request an appointment with a GWE Advisor by contacting the Testing Office, Welch Hall A-210, (310) 243-3909 or at testing@csudh.edu. The GWE Advisor will review the test and contact the student to explain why the essay did not pass. The student must submit a request for advisement within one year of the writing of the essay because essays are destroyed after one year.
Not directly by the student. However, the GWE Advisor, after reviewing the essay, may decide to submit the essay for a reappraisal. That scoring is final. Again, the student must submit a request for advisement within one year of the writing of the essay because essays are destroyed after one year.
Students who miss the test date may retake the test at the NEXT available test date without paying for it again if they notify the Testing Office prior to the start of the examination they have paid for. It is the student’s responsibility to register for the subsequent test and to exchange the unused stamped Admission Ticket (in lieu of payment). If the unused stamped Admission Ticket is not surrendered at the time the student re-registers, he or she must pay again. A new GWE Admission Ticket will be issued for the subsequent GWE administration. Re-registration is permitted only once for a missed exam. If a refund is desired, students must save their unused stamped Admission Ticket and request refunds after the test date printed on the Admission Ticket. To initiate the refund process, the student should come to the Testing Office, Welch Hall A-210 with the unused stamped Admission Ticket. Refunds, in all instances, will have a processing fee deducted to cover administrative costs.
In each course that satisfies the GWAR, students write an essay on a common topic near the end of the course. The instructors in the course meet to read the essays in what is called the Composition Cooperative. Each essay is read independently by two scorers using a modified form of the GWE Scoring Guide. No instructor reads essays from his or her own class. For this reading, the scoring guide is scaled from 1 to 12, the highest score being 24, the lowest 2. The student's score is then translated into a GPA equivalent and counted for at least 25 % of the final grade in English 350 and 50% of the final grade in IDS 398. Students who have questions about their scores should consult their course instructors. Instructors (not students) may appeal any score to the GWAR Coordinator.
Undergraduate students who opt for a course should take it as early as possible, at least within two terms of reaching junior status and after completion of the lower-division composition requirement. Graduate students who opt for a course should take it in their first or second semester of graduate school. In this way, both undergraduate and graduate students will receive instruction that will help them with their writing assignments in upper-division or graduate courses and avoid delaying graduation.
Yes. If prior to being admitted to CSUDH a student has completed GWAR at another CSU campus in 1984 or later, he or she can submit a Petition for GWE Exemption through the Testing Office.
No. All undergraduate and graduate students at CSU Dominguez Hills are bound by the requirement. Portfolios of papers written at Dominguez Hills or elsewhere, or testimonials or letters of recommendation are not, by university policy, taken as evidence that an exception should be made. If a student believes he/she can make a case for an exemption, he/she should complete a petition for exemption, attach any supporting documentation and submit them to the Testing Office. Only those items listed on the petition are considered in the petition process.
Students who do not pass the GWE and/or a certifying course are probably in need of intensive instruction, especially those who do not pass more than once. They should seek advice at the University Advising Center (UAC).
Yes. When a check or money order is returned unpaid for any reason, GWE scores will be withdrawn and not released until all Testing Office debts are cleared.