OUR AGENDA

General writing tips &

resources

CBEST tips

FOLLOW THE WRITING PROCESS

Prewriting-Brainstorming, Listing,

Clustering, Freewrite

Drafting-actually writing your paper

Revision/Proofreading-looking for

higher order and lower order concerns

PROFESSOR’S RUBRIC

Show you how much emphasis your

instructor places on• Use of sources• Grammar and mechanics• Formatting• Development• Reasoning• Response to the task

WHAT IS YOU PROFESSOR ASKING?

What is the prompt asking?

Did you address that in your

thesis statement?

STRATEGIES ON YOUR OWN

Relax-create a comfortable environment

Take time away from your draft

Proofread- read from beginning to end, read

for one error at a time, read for each of the

items on the rubric or something that you

struggle with

WRITING RESOURCES

See a writing tutor at the Writing Resource Center• Admin East 105, • 654-6411, wrc@csub.edu, or www.csub.edu/wrc

Utilize office hours

Through the My Writing Lab program, you can submit up to

four papers to an online tutor with a Masters or Ph.D in a

subject area and receive a response within 48 hours. For

more info, visit the My Writing Lab Plus Headquarters in

Classroom Building 100.

TIPS TO TACKLE THE CBEST WRITING PORTION

Adapted from Espain

THE TEST

The test is four hours.

There are three components: 50 Math Questions,

50 Reading Comprehension Questions, and 2 Essay

Questions

There are methods to prepare for the reading and

math.

Online tests, free math reviews online.

BEFORE THE TEST

Get a good night’s rest.

Wake up early the day of the test.

Eat a good breakfast.

Drink coffee, juice, whatever gets you going. (NO

REDBULL)

REMAIN POSITIVE.

Take a stance for or against.

Use concrete evidence

and/or details.

Try to avoid using personal

examples.

Speak in the 3rd person.

(Avoid I, you, me, my, etc.)

Mostly personal.

Remembered experience.

Reflection or expression of

a memory or experience

1st person is acceptable.

Sensory details: Don’t tell

WHAT happened. Tell HOW!!

THE TWO TYPES OF PROMPTS

Argumentative/Analysis Reflective/Expressive

Remember to devote at

least 30-45 minutes for

EACH essay.

Read and Reread the

Prompt.

Underline key words.

Brainstorm.

PLANNING THE ESSAY

Make an outline.

Develop your ideas

with evidence.

Create your Thesis

Statement.

Create your Topic

Sentences.

A CRASH COURSE

What is a Thesis Statement?

A thesis statement clearly states your position and provides a

broad idea of why you hold that position.

For Example: Global warming is bad. Is this a good thesis

statement?

No. Here’s a better one: Global Warming should be further

investigated because greenhouse emissions and an increasing

carbon footprint will cause further irreversible damage to the

planet.

A CRASH COURSE

What is a Topic Sentence?

A topic sentence expresses the main idea of the

paragraph in which it occurs and refers back to the thesis

statement.

For example:

1. Global warming was not entirely caused by humans.

2. With the invention of the automobile, emissions have

increased exponentially in recent decades.

COMMON MISTAKES

Fragments: Working late into the night to finish the project.

*A fragment is missing a subject, a verb, or a complete thought.

Run-ons: I went to the store I forgot my wallet.

Subject-Verb Agreement: The members of the team is

around my age.

Pronoun-antecedent agreement: If a person drives a big

truck, they should be required to have a special license.

JUNK WORDS

It

Thing

Stuff

Nowadays

Due to the fact that

In today’s society

Says

A lot

Really

Very good

Basically, Obviously If you use these in

conversation, avoid using them in your essay

CLICHÉS: AVOID THEM LIKE THE PLAGUE

In the long run

Down the road

Nip it in the bud

At the end of my rope

All that and a bag of

chips

Between a rock and a

hard place

Knock it out of the park

Chip off the old block

Twist of fate

Try to stick to your

outline.

Remember your thesis.

Stay on topic.

Keep an eye on the clock.

Elevate your vocabulary

Avoid clichés and

ambiguous terms

WRITING THE ESSAY

Stay Calm.

Don’t Stress

BREATHE.

Stressing is counter-

productive, and it can

cloud your thinking.

FINISHING THE ESSAY

Just because you’ve finished the essay doesn’t

mean it’s done.

Use whatever time you have to read, revise, and

edit.

Check for clarity. Does it make sense?

CBEST RUBRIC

I. Rhetorical Force: the clarity with which

the central idea or point of view is stated and

maintained; the coherence of the discussion

and the quality of the writer's reasoning

II. Organization: the clarity of the writing

and the logical sequence of the writer's ideas

MORE CRITERIA

III. Support and Development: the relevance, depth, and specificity of

supporting information

IV. Usage: the extent to which the writing shows care and precision in

word choice

V. Structure and Conventions: the extent to which the writing is free

of errors in syntax, paragraph structure, sentence structure, and

mechanics (e.g., spelling, punctuation, and capitalization)

VI. Appropriateness: the extent to which the writer addresses the topic

and uses language and style appropriate to the given audience and

purpose

Oscar Wilde once wrote, “We live

in an age when unnecessary things

are our only necessities.”   In an

essay to be read by an audience of

educated adults, state whether you

agree or disagree with Wilde’s

observation. Support your position

with logical arguments and specific

examples.

In teaching and in life, people sometimes face

difficult situations about whether to intervene in

a conflict between people, such as students or

other teachers.  Concerns about how one will be

perceived, fear of personal danger, or whether it

is better to let the parties resolve the conflict

themselves can make the decision about whether

to intervene a challenging one.  In an essay to be

read by an audience of educated adults, describe

a situation in which you faced such a decision

about whether to intervene, and explain how you

handled the situation.

SAMPLE PROMPT #1

Topic 1 Topic 2

Television has changed the world and how we view it.

With just the point and click of a button, the viewing

possibilities are endless. There are literally hundreds of

channels to choose from. Cartoons, sitcoms, news, cooking

shows, and music videos fill the airwaves. With so many

viewing options, determining what we should be watching

has become a great concern, especially when it comes to

children. It is no wonder that cable and satellite providers

have built in parental controls. Therefore, should parents

be responsible for what content may be too offensive for

their children, or should content providers be more

accountable of what their programming contains? In an

essay to be read by an audience of educated adults, state

whether you agree or disagree with parental controls, and

support your position with logical arguments and specific

examples.

Recall an instance when someone

did something unexpectedly nice

for you that he or she did not have

to do. In an essay to be read by an

audience of educated adults,

describe a situation in which

someone’s thoughtfulness

surprised you and how the act

made you feel.

SAMPLE PROMPT #2

Topic 1 Topic 2

Though parents are ultimately responsible for what their

children watch, they cannot always be present; therefore,

the flexibility of technological controls combined with

parental responsibility provides the optimal measure of

control over what children watch.

Here, I’m arguing a mix of both sides.

You don’t necessarily have to believe your position, you

just have to argue a position.

THESIS: TOPIC ONE

Parents can’t

realistically control

everything their children

watch, so cable

providers should allow

parents control over T.V.

When parents are

present to watch T.V.

with their children, they

can make decision about

what their children

watch and model

appropriate T.V.

watching.

POINT ONE POINT TWO

ONLINE RESOURCES

http://www.teacherstestprep.com/

http://www.testprepreview.com/cbest_practice.htm

Good Luck!!!