Preparing for a Writing Sample

Welcome to the Department of Writing at UAA! We offer a wide range of academic writing courses with various levels of learning outcomes, and our commitment to your success begins with helping you find the right place to start. For many students, a writing sample is an important part of that process.

Our writing sample process asks you to take a course-matching survey in which you answer a few questions regarding your comfort level and experiences with reading and writing. For example, you will respond to questions about your ability to organize ideas, use sources, and revise your writing. These questions help provide context for the writing faculty as they consider the course that is best for you. 

After you complete the form, you will receive a link to your writing sample prompt at the email you provided in the form. You will write a few paragraphs summarizing and responding to a complex reading that is typical of the readings students are assigned in our entry-level writing courses. Read this passage carefully using active reading strategies you've already learned such as identifying main points. Also pay close attention to the writing prompt. Answer everything that it asks of you and consider using the prompt as a tool for organizing your work.

As you write, summarize the reading thoroughly, noting its main ideas and key details. Then, in your response, show your own original thinking in the way you interact with the reading. Before you finish, proofread your work with care.

A panel of professors will read your writing sample and discuss which of our courses will be a good match for you. They will assess your writing holistically with an emphasis on reading comprehension, idea development, organization, sense of audience, language conventions, and how you interact with the source material.

Don't stress over your writing sample, but do be sure that it represents your best work. Using AI is prohibited in this context, and using it may negatively influence your placement into a writing course at UAA as well as your success in a given course. You should communicate your own ideas and writing strengths in your submission. Keep in mind that this isn't an exam, but a way of showing your professors your strengths as a reader, writer, and critical thinker so they can help you find the best place to begin your writing studies at UAA. 

Before you get started, you will need:

• A computer or laptop
• Your University of Alaska student ID number and a preferred email

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Instructions for Completing the Writing Sample

When you open the Microsoft Form, you will be asked to provide some basic contact information, as well as answer questions regarding your comfort level and experiences with reading and writing. These questions help provide context for the writing faculty as they consider the course that is best for you. After you complete the form, you will receive a link to your writing sample prompt at the email you provided in the form.

Please note that the automated submission process will time out after 2 hours, so be sure to complete your writing sample and close your essay within that time frame.

Steps to take:

1. Click the button below that says "Click Here to Begin Your Writing Sample."
2. Fill out the Microsoft Form and click submit. You will receive an email with the link to your Writing Sample prompt. Please note, once you submit the form you will have 2 hours to access the link and complete your writing sample. Please ensure that you are ready and have enough time to complete the sample in one sitting.
3. Check your email for your Writing Sample link (the email you provide in the contact info of the Microsoft Form) - the link will break after the 2 hours are up, and you will not be able to access it again. If you do not receive the email, please check your spam folder. If you still have not received it, please email hlcox@alaska.edu.
4. Read the prompt, and write your essay response.
5. Close your essay's browser tab - congrats! You are done with your Writing Sample.

Once you close the tab, Microsoft automatically uploads your essay for the faculty to review, and you can expect to receive a confirmation email within a few hours. See below for information about where to view and how to interpret your writing sample results. Please allow 4-5 business days for your writing sample results to become available to view in UAOnline. Contact hlcox@alaska.edu if you don't receive your results within the expected amount of time, or if you don't receive a confirmation email. 

Click Here to Begin your Writing Sample

 

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Writing Sample Results

Writing Sample results can be viewed in UAOnline. Follow these steps to find your results in UAOnline:

1. Visit alaska.edu/uaonline.
2. Log in with your UA username and password.
3. At the top of the page, click on Student Services and Account Information.
4. Scroll down to Student Records and click on it.
5. Scroll to the bottom and click on View Test Scores. 

Your writing sample results will be called "Writing Sample Anchorage" on the View Test Scores page in UAOnline. The date next to your results is the date your results were entered, not the date you took your Writing Sample. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to your academic advisor. If you do not know who your academic advisor is, please contact the phone number: 907.786.0338.