CLEP College Composition case studies
CLEP College Composition · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The CLEP College Composition exam is a credit-by-examination route for students who already write at the level taught in a one-semester first-year college composition course. It is aimed at incoming or current undergraduates who want to demonstrate writing competence rather than repeat introductory coursework, and it is also used by military and adult learners returning to study. The CLEP College Composition case studies are 5 cases and about 3,063 words.
1The Campus Bike-Lane Editorial and the Style Guide
At a weekly editorial meeting, the editor-in-chief of a campus newspaper hands you a 520-word draft arguing that the university should build a protected bike lane on College Avenue. The paper's style guide caps editorials at 500 words and discourages second-person address, but the editor wants to keep the writer's direct, slightly impatient voice.
634 words, about 3 min2The Scholarship Essay That Buries the Story
A student is revising a 780-word draft for a 650-word scholarship essay. The prompt asks applicants to 'describe a time you led a team through a challenge and reflect on what you learned.' The draft opens with two sentences about national food insecurity, then describes a Saturday shift at a campus food pantry when three volunteers canceled and 140 families were scheduled.
639 words, about 3 min3Conflicting Heat-Island Statistics and a Charged Blog Phrase
For a first-year writing seminar, you are drafting an 8-10 page research paper on urban heat islands in a mid-sized city. The assignment requires at least six sources, including two peer-reviewed articles, and asks you to synthesize sources rather than summarize them one by one.
607 words, about 3 min4The President's Tuition-Freeze Op-Ed
The student newspaper publishes an op-ed by a university president arguing that the board should freeze tuition for the next academic year. The piece opens with a sophomore named Elena who works 30 hours a week and says she sometimes chooses between textbooks and groceries.
576 words, about 3 min5The One-Page Reusable-Container Brief
A student government committee has drafted a 380-word policy brief urging the campus dining director to pilot a reusable-container program in two dining halls. The brief must fit on one page (250 words max) and be read aloud at a meeting where senators have competing budget concerns.
607 words, about 3 min