Placement FAQs

What is the Multilingual Writer Placement?

The Writing Program offers several courses for undergraduate students whose first or strongest language is not English. These courses are designed with multilingual writers in mind. We offer an online placement to help students register for the most appropriate level WR course.

Do I need to prepare for the placement, read something ahead of time, or practice before the placement in any particular way?

No. All you need is a quiet place to take our interactive online placement, watch the videos, and thoughtfully reflect on your writing experiences, strengths, strategies, and goals.

If I’m a current or future BU student taking a WR course in the summer, do I need to take the placement?

Yes. If you are a current or future BU international student with an English proficiency test score on file with BU, you are required to take the placement before taking any WR course, including a summer section of WR. We strongly recommend taking the placement before Summer Term begins. Students may need to change their WR class after receiving their placement results if their registration does not match their placement.

If I’m a visiting English language learner student taking a WR course in the summer, do I need to take the placement?

Visiting ELL students are not required to take the placement, though they are welcome to take it to determine the class level that may be best for them.

Do I need to take the placement if I’m a transfer student?

Transfer students who have English proficiency test scores on file with BU AND who have approved transfer credit for CAS WR 13TR (equivalent to WR 120) and/or CAS WR 16TR (equivalent to WR 151, WR 152, or WR 153) are NOT required to take the placement. You may still desire to, however: the writing placement results, along with transfer course equivalencies, and a conversation with your advisor, can be useful to determine which writing courses you will need to complete your requirements. Please consult with your advisor about your options for fulfilling your Hub writing requirements.

What class level should I register for if I have WR transfer credit?

If your CAS WR transfer credit is a lower level than your placement, we strongly advise that you register for the level of your placement. CAS WR 01TR transfer credit is the same level as WR 111. CAS WR 02TR transfer credit is the same level as WR 112. For example, if you received a placement of WR 112 and only have WR 01TR transfer credit (equal to WR 111), you should take WR 112.

The Writing Program strongly recommends that ELL transfer students begin the WR sequence at the level of their placement. However, you may register for the higher level class if you choose to. Please consult with your advisor before choosing this option. It may be difficult for students to succeed in a class that is a higher level than their placement, especially if it is more than one level higher than their placement. We would be happy to discuss your particular placement situation with you in order to make sure you end up in a WR class in which you can be successful.

• CAS WR 01TR transfer credit fulfills the prerequisite for CAS WR 112. If you placed into WR 111 and have WR 01TR transfer credit, the program strongly recommends that you register for WR 111, but you should discuss your placement with your advisor; you may register for a higher level WR course if you decide that is the best level for you.
• CAS WR 02TR transfer credit fulfills the prerequisite for CAS WR 120 for transfer students. If you placed into WR 111 or WR 112, the program strongly recommends that you register for your recommended placement level, or no more than one level higher at most, but you should discuss your placement with your advisor; you may register for WR 120 if you decide that is the best level for you.
• CAS WR 13TR and/or CAS WR 16TR transfer credit fulfill the prerequisite for CAS WR 151, WR 152, and WR 153 for transfer students. If you place into WR 111 or WR 112, the program strongly recommends that you register for your recommended placement level or no more than one level higher at most, but you should discuss your placement with your advisor; you may register for WR 151, WR 152, or WR 153 if you decide that is the best level for you.

If you are considering enrolling in CC 101, and you have an English proficiency test on record with the university, you must first take the placement, just as you must take the placement before registering for any WR class. Furthermore, students with a placement indicating WR 111 or WR 112 may not enroll in CC 101 until they have taken and passed WR 112. Students who take the placement and receive a placement of WR 120 may choose to enroll in CC 101 or WR 120.

International students who submitted English-language proficiency test scores (such as TOEFL and DET scores) to Admissions are required to take the Multilingual Writer Placement before taking a CAS WR course.

The presence of an English-language proficiency test score on your BU record is the only thing that determines if you have to take the placement or not. Other information about your background (for example, you attended an American high school, you took AP classes, you got high TOEFL scores, you weren’t required to submit the scores, etc.) will be considered as part of the placement process. If you are still not sure if you should take the placement, your advisor or the advising office for your BU college should be able to tell you if you need to take the placement. You may also email writing@bu.edu to check.

We recognize that there may be some domestic students who submitted English proficiency scores and some students who did not submit TOEFL or equivalent test scores but whose primary language is not English. Those students are not required to take the placement, but they are welcome to do so in order to get recommended class level placements.

Do I have to take the placement if I plan on taking CC 101 in Core to fulfill my writing requirement at BU?

Yes. You must take the placement before registering for CC 101, just as you must take the placement before registering for any WR class. Furthermore, students with a placement indicating WR 111 or WR 112 may not enroll in CC 101 until they have taken and passed WR 112. Students who take the placement and receive a placement of WR 120 may choose to enroll in CC 101 or WR 120.

One or more of the following situations applies to me: Classes at my high school were taught in English; I have high TOEFL scores or other high test scores; I wasn’t required to submit scores to Admissions, but I did so voluntarily. Do I still have to take the placement?

If you are an entering first-year international student who submitted English-proficiency test scores to Admissions and will be taking a CAS WR course at any point, you are required to take the placement. Students are not exempted from the placement for any of the reasons mentioned above, but we welcome the chance to learn more about your background and English experience during the placement.

When is the placement, and do I need to register for it in advance?

You do not need to register. If you are an incoming international first-year or transfer student, your BU email address will be sent to the Writing Program for inclusion in the Blackboard placement. You can see the dates when the placement will be open on the Placement page of the Writing Program website, and you can take the placement at any time of day and on any day during those dates. If you can’t take the placement when it is open, please submit a Placement Help Form to request a different time.

What if I have a technical problem with the placement?

If you have a problem, please submit the Placement Help Form. Please describe what happened in as much detail as you can.

How long is the placement, and what is it like?

The placement is an online, reflective, interactive experience, like a mini online “course” with just one class session. You will need to read, write (type), answer questions, watch and listen to videos, and think about your past and present writing skills and experiences during the placement. You should make sure you have about 45 minutes, a stable network connection, and access to a computer with a keyboard in order to take the placement–you will need to write (type), so you should not plan on taking it on your phone.

How will I find out my placement?

You will find out your recommended level at the end of the online placement, right there in Blackboard. We will also send your placement to your BU college’s advising office at the end of the placement session.

What are the possible placements?

You will receive a placement of WR 111, WR 112, or WR 120, and you should generally register for the level WR that your placement indicates:

• • WR 111, Academic Writing for ELL Students, meets the Hub requirement (general education credit) in The Individual in Community. You will read, write about, and discuss lots of interesting essays about multilinguality, cross-cultural communication, identity, and related themes. You can think of this class as a writing-intensive general education course that will prepare you for the kinds of writing you’ll need to do across the university. This class is pass/fail, so you can work on expanding your college-level writing, reading, and speaking skills without stressing about your GPA in your first semester at BU.
  • WR 112, Critical Literacies for ELL, meets the Hub requirement (general education credit) in Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. You’ll read, write about, and discuss globalization, antiracism, linguistic justice, generative AI critiques and biases, and more. You can think of this class as a writing-intensive general education course that will explore multiple genres and involve lots of teamwork and debate. This class is also pass/fail, so you can work on trying out new genres and modes of writing without stressing about your GPA.
  • WR 120, First-Year Writing Seminar, meets the Hub requirement (general education credit) for First-Year Writing Seminar. All WR 120 sections have the same sequence of assignments but different topics, ranging from poetry to business writing and more.

What should I do if I have concerns or questions about my placement or if I think I’m placed in the wrong level course?

If you have questions or concerns about your placement, please first schedule a Zoom consultation with an experienced Writing Program faculty member to discuss your placement. On the Placement page, scroll down to the “After the Placement” section to find the dates and links for scheduling a conference. If no additional conferences are available, please email the Director of English Language Learning to make an additional appointment and discuss your situation.

You should also discuss your placement with your advisor, who may review the Writing Program Advising Guide with you.

What should I do if I have concerns or questions about my placement or if I think I’m placed in the wrong level course?

If you have questions or concerns about your placement, please first schedule a Zoom consultation with an experienced Writing Program faculty member to discuss your placement. On the Placement page, scroll down to the “After the Placement” section to find the dates and links for scheduling a conference. If no additional conferences are available, please email the Director of English Language Learning to make an additional appointment and discuss your situation.

You should also discuss your placement with your advisor, who may review the Writing Program Advising Guide with you.

What are the differences between the different levels of WR?

• WR 111 is a creative and narrative-based writing course with an emphasis on public speaking and teamwork. You’ll get a great deal of practice speaking, overcoming any fear of oral presentations, and you’ll also learn strategies for working effectively in teams, which you can apply to any of your other coursework. In addition, you’ll get out of the classroom and explore Boston–all WR 111 sections require a small amount of off-campus exploration, tailored to international students in their first semester at BU. This course satisfies the Individual in Community Hub requirement. This is a Pass/Fail course.
• WR 112 is a more advanced writing course emphasizing the complexities of academic discourse beyond rhetorical analysis and research papers. While reading about and discussing linguistic justice and other interconnected global issues, in a community of other international and multilingual students, you’ll write a longer academic synthesis paper and complete a multimodal project. This course satisfies the Global Citizenship & Intercultural Literacy Hub requirement. This is a Pass/Fail course.
• WR 120 includes two longer academic argument papers and another paper or project (genres vary). Topics vary. This course satisfies the First-Year Writing Seminar Hub requirement. This course is a standard graded course.

Which WR class should I register for after WR 111?

After WR 111, students continue straight to WR 112.

The only exceptions here are students who may have had transfer credit equivalent to WR 112 or who received a WR 120 placement but nevertheless chose to take WR 111 for the experience and/or the Hub requirement. These students may register for WR 120. Otherwise, students who pass WR 111 then take WR 112 in the following semester. Remember that WR 111, WR 112, and WR 120 are designed as a sequence, each emphasizing very different writing skills and types of assignments.