| University Undergraduate Advising Handbook | |
ADVISING PLACEMENT GUIDE
TALKING POINTS TO ASSIST ESL STUDENTS IN CHOOSING
ENGLISH COMPOSITION COURSES
| ESL 004 | ESL 015 | ENGL 015 | |
| 1. What type of writing did you do in your high school English classes? | Usually wrote five-paragraph essays of one to two pages. | Usually wrote essays of more than two pages and also wrote a research paper. | Frequently wrote essays of four or more pages and research papers. |
| 2. What did the teacher largely focus instruction on? | Writing of grammatically correct sentences and structure of the essay (five paragraphs with introduction and conclusion). | Writing to develop and communicate ideas. Writing to argue and support a position. Practicing grammar, vocabulary, essay, and structure. | Writing to develop and communicate ideas, and writing to argue and support a position. |
| 3. To what extent do you translate from your home language to English when writing? | Always | A range—sometimes to often | Sometimes |
| 4. How easily can you paraphrase someone else's words to support your ideas? | Not easily | Usually easily but not always | Fairly easily |
| 5. How frequently do you revise your papers? | Rarely | Typically but not extensively | Often |
| 6. Did you read other writer's texts to help you develop your ideas when writing essays in English? | Rarely | Yes | Often |
| 7. Do you consider yourself a confident and competent writer in English? | No | Yes | Very much so |
The University may make changes in policies,
procedures, educational offerings, and requirements at any time. Please
consult a Penn State academic adviser for more detailed information.
This page is part of the University Undergraduate Advising Handbook, which is maintained by the Division of Undergraduate Studies, DUS@psu.edu.
Reviewed: March 2009
Last Update: June 2006