What does my score for my doctoral writing assessment essay mean?

Your Writing Assessment essay will be scored based on the rubric in your DRWA Doctoral Writing Assessment classroom focusing on:

• Central idea of essay
• Paraphrase and analysis
• Organization of ideas
• Grammar and mechanics

To view the scoring criteria for each rubric category, please visit your DRWA Doctoral Writing Assessment classroom.

To test out of the required CAEX Graduate Writing I and CAEX Graduate Writing II courses, you must show mastery of the writing skills represented in the rubric in your DRWA Doctoral Writing Assessment classroom.

Essays are scored on a scale of 0-5 in each of these categories, with 5 indicating the highest possible score.

If you receive a score of 5 or 4 on your assessment essay, then your CAEX Graduate Writing I and CAEX Graduate Writing II requirements are fulfilled. You are recommended (not required) to enroll in Graduate Writing III for free and review instructional materials from the Walden Writing Center to begin exploring some nuances of scholarly writing.

If you receive a score of 3 on your assessment essay, then your CAEX Graduate Writing I requirement is fulfilled, and you will need to complete only CAEX Graduate Writing II. You will be enrolled in this course in the following term. In this course, you practice scholarly writing skills such as paraphrasing and evaluating main ideas.

If you receive a score of 2 or 1 on your assessment essay, then you must complete both required CAEX Graduate Writing I and CAEX Graduate Writing II courses in sequential order. You will be enrolled in the first required writing course in the following term. In these courses, you practice and develop scholarly writing skills such as critical reading, summarizing, paraphrasing, and evaluating main ideas.

If you score 0 on the assessment essay, indicating you did not submit an essay for assessors to review, then you must complete both required CAEX Graduate Writing I and CAEX Graduate Writing II courses in sequential order. You will be enrolled in the first required writing course in the following term. In these courses, you practice and develop scholarly writing skills such as critical reading, summarizing, paraphrasing, and evaluating main ideas.

If you receive a score of 99 on your assessment essay, this means that there was evidence of plagiarism in the essay, and you must complete both required CAEX Graduate Writing I and CAEX Graduate Writing II courses in sequential order. You will be enrolled in the first required writing course in the following term. In these courses, you practice and develop scholarly writing skills such as critical reading, summarizing, paraphrasing, and evaluating main ideas.

The score of 88 in your DRWA course is a temporary score indicating there is a technical issue with your essay that our team can resolve after the course is complete. Once the issue is resolved, the score of 88 will be changed in your DRWA course to a standard score of 0-5 or 99.

Students will be able to view the assignment prompt and the rubric used for scoring while enrolled in their DRWA Doctoral Writing Assessment course.

For more information:
Doctoral Writing Assessment Website
E-mail the Doctoral Writing Assessment Team