Writing Placement FAQ
All incoming new students should take writing placement, except for:
- Students who have completed college composition coursework at another college or university and have received transfer credit for WRIT 1110 or WRIT 1120.
- Students who have earned a score of 3 or higher on either the AP English Language and Composition or AP English Literature and Composition exam.
NOTE: Students who have taken either of the above AP Composition courses but have not completed the AP exam or have not yet received their exam scores should still complete the writing placement essay. (Your advisor will update your writing placement and/or course schedule as needed upon receipt of your AP exam score(s) later in the summer. For now, please plan to complete the writing placement essay.)
If you are having technical difficulty with this site (for example, the page does not load properly), feel free to call BGSU Information Technology Services at 419-372-0999 or use live chat.
Do not obtain any form of assistance when taking the Writing Placement—avoid help from teachers, parents, friends, or AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or other generative AI systems*. Please do not use any help in proofreading or editing. This should be your own original work and writing process, and using help to place into a more difficult writing course will make you less likely to succeed.
*NOTE: If you use AI to generate or significantly assist with your responses, we're no longer assessing your writing—we're assessing your ability to use an AI tool. That doesn't give us accurate information about where you should be placed.
Yes, this approach is strongly recommended. You have two options:
If you use your own word processing program (for example, Microsoft Word or Google Docs), you will be able to leave the placement site and return to it as often as you like within your 24-hour submission window. As you write your essay, remember to save your work frequently. Copy and paste to transfer your essay from your word processor to the large text box on the "Write and Submit" webpage.
If you choose to type your essay directly into the large text box on the "Write and Submit" webpage, please be aware that the program will not save your work if you leave the webpage unless you click the "Save" button. Therefore, if you choose to leave the placement site and later return to it, you must be sure to click the "Save" button so you can pick up where you left off.
If you choose to type your essay directly into the large text box on the "Write and Submit" webpage, please be aware that the program will not save your work if you leave the webpage unless you click the "Save" button. If you choose this option, be sure to click the "Save" button so you can pick up where you left off.
The placement is imagined to take no more than two hours to complete, although you will actually have a 24-hour window within which to draft your essay and revision plan and submit a completed survey. The 24-hour period will begin when you first access the site and will end 24 hours later.
NOTE: You may access the site an unlimited number of times within the 24-hour period, and you may submit your placement at any point within the same 24-hour period. When the 24-hour window ends, however, you will no longer be able to submit work.
Your essay should have a maximum of 800 words, and it could certainly be shorter.
You will receive your placement results via email at your BGSU email address, and results are also sent to your academic advisor.
We encourage incoming students to complete the writing placement as soon as possible or no later than two weeks before your scheduled orientation date. The University Writing Program online placement is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Yes. Contact esolprog@bgsu.edu if you have any questions.
Updated: 06/29/2026 01:33PM