The writing waiver exam allows students to demonstrate that they are proficient in the learning outcomes for WR 121Z or WR 122Z.

The exams must be taken in sequence. To take the WR 122 waiver exam, students must have fulfilled the WR 121 requirement. Students wanting to take the WR 122 exam should show proof that they have met the WR 121 requirement.

Students may only take one writing waiver exam per term.

Register for the Writing Waiver Exam

Timing and What to Expect

• The writing waiver exam is given during the first week of fall, winter, and spring terms.
• The writing waiver exam is not given during summer term.
• Students must pay a $10 fee for the writing waiver exam when making their appointments.
• Students have two hours to take the exam.
• The Composition department will email the exam results during week six. Students should stay registered for WR 121 or WR 122 until they receive the waiver results.
• When a student passes the exam, the Composition Program notifies the Office of the Registrar that the student can waive the course requirement.
• Students can drop the class without penalty and a W will NOT appear on the transcript. However, dropping a class late in the term may put students below full-time student status. Students should discuss dropping a course with their academic advisor or the financial aid office before dropping the course.
• No credit is given for passing the exam.

Review Process

The essay exams are read anonymously by three members of the English Department’s Composition Committee and are graded pass or no pass.

Each reader makes an independent assessment of the quality of the essay according to these standards:

• Does the writing sample identify a specific question raised by the exam text that is meaningful to the UO community, specifically students, faculty, and staff? 
• Does the writing sample demonstrate rhetorical analysis and critical reading by incorporating and analyzing at least two specific examples from the exam text? 
• Does the writing sample offer the student’s perspective on the issue? 
• Does the writing sample substantiate the student’s argument with specific evidence from the text as well as relevant and convincing lived experience and real-world examples? 
• Does the writing sample acknowledge other possible perspectives and viewpoints that differ from the writer’s personal experience? 

A passing score on this exam indicates that the writing sample demonstrate the skills in critical reading, rhetorical analysis, and ethical argumentation that justify waiving WR 121Z as a required course. 

The WR 122 exam is assessed with these additional criteria in mind:

• Is the logic of the argument reasonable and valid?
• Is the writer able to identify not only the main argument in the source reading, but also the logical structures or assumptions in the source reading? Does the writer address the source reading in an ethical fashion?
• Does the style of the writing demonstrate sufficient clarity, sophistication, and individuality?

After reviewing, the English Department does not return the exams to students, nor do they give feedback about why students did or did not pass.

Students who pass the exam will have an exam exemption noted on their transcripts. Students who do not pass the exams will not have anything added to their records and will be expected to take the required writing courses.