EXIt exam
The Exit Exam is an English language exam given to conditionally admitted undergraduate students as they complete their final semester of ESL. Students may take this exam instead of standardized English exams (e.g. UIS-Administered Exam, TOEFL, IELTS) to meet the English Proficiency requirements.
The ESL Exit Exam consists of two sections: written and oral. They do not need to be completed on the same day. Test dates will be determined by the ESL Coordinator and advertised to those eligible to take the exam. All test-takers will complete the written section together, but may be scheduled on different days for the oral sections.
Two Sections
- Written: You will receive a prompt (a statement and situation) and asked to respond (provide an opinion). You will be given 1 hour to complete this test. It will be conducted in a UIS computer lab. This section will be scored by English faculty.
- Oral: You will give a 7-12 minute informative presentation to a small audience of one to three examiner(s). You will not write a new speech, but use the informative speech from your LNG course. This section will be scored by Communication faculty.
Grading
You must pass both sections in order to pass the exam. Exams are graded on a Pass/Fail scale where a C (73%) and above is passing and a C- (72%) and below is failing.
Here is the Written rubric. A "3" is equivalent to a "C."
The ESL Program will schedule and proctor the exam, but will not grade it. Faculty from the English department will grade the written portion and faculty from the Communication department will grade the Oral. The ESL Program will notify you of your score within two weeks of the exam. Results are final.
The Exit Exam may only be taken once per semester for a maximum of two times.
How to Prepare
The written section is similar to the TOEFL Independent Writing Task. Practice responding to different prompts giving yourself only one-hour to brainstorm, plan, write, and edit. Be sure to use specific examples in your writing. Ask a friend, CTL TA, or ESL instructor to make comments.
To find prompts, do an internet search for TOEFL writing prompts. Also, come to the CTL and use the book 501 Writing Prompts located in the Test Prep section of the resource library.
Questions
All questions should be directed to the ESL Program Office.
