WRIT Frequently Asked Questions

See the writing assessment online pages for more information.

• You will write an essay in response to a short reading (called a prompt).
• The essay will be completed on a computer.
• You will have 60 minutes to read the prompt and write the essay.
• Please do your best work. Follow the instructions carefully. Your course placement depends on the results of this assessment. Based on our grading criteria, students who demonstrate adequate proficiency will be exempt from the WRIT level 1 course.

No. The assessment measures the writing skills that you have developed over many years. It requires no specific study. However, we do recommend that students apply the knowledge and skills they may have learned about essay writing thus far to their assessment.

We recommend that students write the assessment as early as possible. The earlier you write the assessment, the faster we can process your results and finalize your class schedule.

No, there is no fee to take the WRIT assessment.

Visit the WRIT Programs page to see the complete list of programs that require a WRIT credit.

No, the assessment has no effect on your admission to your program. However, the assessment does determine your course placement. Based on our grading criteria, students who demonstrate adequate proficiency will be exempt from the WRIT level 1 course. Please do your best work. Follow the instructions carefully.

If you don't write the assessment, you will be placed automatically into a WRIT course, unless you already have WRIT from a previous program (see above). There are no exceptions to this policy.

If you have been accepted to a higher level of your program based on previous studies at another college or university, please email writ@fanshawec.ca for instructions. Please include your full name and your student number in your email.

Please note that there are different English/Writing assessments. You should be certain that you took the WRIT ASSESSMENT.

• If you wrote the assessment within the last two academic years, do not re-take the assessment.
• If you have placed out of WRIT in the past, you do not need to re-take the assessment. Your previous place-out score will also exempt you from the WRIT level 1 course for your new program.
• If you aren't sure about when (or whether) you took the assessment, please email writ@fanshawec.ca. Please include your full name and your student number in your email.

Probably not. Most (but not all) WRIT courses are equivalent. If you took one version of WRIT Level 1, you probably do not need to take another one if you change programs.

• If you have already taken WRIT, please email writ@fanshawec.ca. Please include your full name and your student number in your email.
• Please note that WRIT 1040 (Writing Grammatically), offered through Ontario Learn, is NOT equivalent to WRIT level 1.
• We very strongly recommend that you do not make any decisions about your courses without first receiving an answer to your email to writ@fanshawec.ca.

If taken at Fanshawe:

• If you have already taken the assessment and placed out or if you have already received credit in WRIT level 1, you do not need to write the assessment. If you're not sure, please email writ@fanshawec.ca. Please include your full name and your student number in your email.

If taken at another college or university:

• Some English/Writing/Communications courses from other colleges or universities may qualify as external credits for WRIT. In order to apply for an external credit in WRIT, students must complete and submit an Application for External Credit from the Office of the Registrar.
  • The Application for External Credit must also include supporting documentation (a detailed course outline and a copy of the student's official academic transcript if not already on file with the Office of the Registrar).
  • Students applying for external credit in WRIT should also review Fanshawe's information about Course Credits.
  • External Course Credit
    • External credit is credit granted by Fanshawe College for a Fanshawe College course on the basis of previous credit achieved at another institution.
    • Students may apply for external credit in a course required for their program by completing and submitting an Application for External Credit form to the Office of the Registrar.
    • Students are responsible for providing documentation necessary to support an application for credit.  Completed application forms and supporting documents should be submitted to the Office of the Registrar well before the commencement of the course for which credit is sought and in any case must be submitted not later than 14 calendar days after the commencement of the term.  Students must attend classes pending notification of the decision on their application for course credit.
  • Please Note: External credit applications are not automatically granted.  The WRIT Coordinator will assess each application for external credit to determine if the courses are sufficiently similar.
    • Because external credit applications take time to assess and process, students applying for external credit should still complete the WRIT assessment before the start of classes.  If the external credit application is approved, then the result of the assessment will be void.  If the external credit application is denied, then the result of the WRIT assessment will determine whether a student has to take WRIT.
• If you have questions about whether a course you took at another academic institution is applicable for credit in WRIT, please email writ@fanshawec.ca for instructions. Please include your full name and your student number in your email.

Even though you may have written other language tests, these tests are not the same as the WRIT Assessment. Many Second Language Students have excellent English language skills. Others, however, need support to develop their skills after they begin their studies.

We provide small classes with English as a Second Language (ESL) specialists who provide help with English for anyone who needs a little extra support. This class is called WRIT 1034 (EAP). “EAP” stands for "English for Academic Purposes." WRIT 1034 is equivalent in credit and content to the non-EAP WRIT courses. The only difference is that WRIT 1034 (EAP) has a fourth hour of instruction each week. This fourth hour provides more support for language development for students who need it.

Your assessment result will be sent to your FanshaweOnline email address approximately two to three weeks after you have completed the assessment. If it has been more than three weeks, please contact us at writ@fanshawec.ca.

• Each essay is independently read by two professional evaluators.
• Each evaluator gives the student's paper a score. Neither evaluator knows what the other has given it.
• If the scores disagree, a third evaluator reads the paper.
• These scores tell us which courses you need to take.

• When your assessment is scored, you will receive an email to your FanshaweOnline email address indicating the result of your assessment.
• Until all WRIT assessments are scored, all students are registered directly into a Level 1 WRIT course. Scoring should be completed before the start of classes. Check your WebAdvisor schedule at the start of classes (not before).
• If the WRIT course appears on your class schedule at the start of classes, please attend those classes.  If a WRIT course does not appear, then you placed out of that course.  If you are unsure, please email writ@fanshawec.ca. Please include your full name and your student number in your email.
• You can check the letter you received when you applied to Fanshawe College for your WebAdvisor login information.
• Course changes (including days, times, and room numbers) may occur until the end of the first two weeks of classes. We strongly suggest that you continue to monitor WebAdvisor for any changes during this period.
• If you have trouble with WebAdvisor, contact the HelpDesk at (519) 452-4430, ext. 4357.
• If you believe you are missing a course (or registered in the wrong course), you should immediately email writ@fanshawec.ca. Please include your full name and your student number in your email.

A COMM course is generally a second, more advanced level course that follows a WRIT course and focuses on workplace writing. Most students, regardless of whether they place in or out of a WRIT course, need to take an advanced communications (COMM) course. Check with your program or with the School of Language and Liberal Studies to find out whether you also require a communications course.

You should make a special effort to avoid dropping your WRIT course. If you drop your WRIT course, you must pay extra to take the course later. The WRIT course is designed to fit your schedule in the term in which your program normally requires it. You may have a lot of trouble fitting it in later. WRIT is a required course and dropping your WRIT course could delay graduation.

Students who feel it is in their academic interest to drop WRIT should only do so after consulting with the WRIT Coordinator, Academic Advisors, or Counselors.