Diagnostic Writing Assessment for Thesis Students
The Diagnostic Writing Assessment (DWA) for Thesis Students is an Academic Skills Centre (ASC) programme for master’s and PhD students who may require help with academic writing. This writing assessment programme aims to identify students’ specific writing needs early in the thesis writing process and to provide individual and group support to assist in addressing these needs.
There are two separate streams for the DWA: one for students whose first language is NOT English (ESL) and one for native English speakers. The ESL assessment aims to identify common ESL errors; both groups will also be assessed more broadly on basic principles of academic writing including grammar, paraphrasing and structure. After enrolling for the DWA, students either complete a one-hour assessment via Learn (for the ESL stream) or provide a writing sample such as a research proposal to ASC (for the native speaker stream).
After their work has been reviewed by a Learning Advisor, students and supervisors will receive detailed feedback on the student’s writing, and students will be invited to attend a debrief appointment to develop a learning plan with ASC. Supervisors will receive periodic updates regarding students’ engagement with ASC services during the first year following completion of the assessment. For this reason, if you have self-referred for the DWA, please consult with your supervisor(s) before enrolling.
If you have any questions, please contact us at academicskills@canterbury.ac.nz.
If your supervisor has referred you to this programme, or you have discussed it with them, enrol below.
However, if you are in the final 2-3 months of your thesis, please contact us to book in an appointment to look at your thesis writing, rather than doing the assessment.
If you would like to find out more, email Julie Wuthnow
Dates and times
- ESL (not a native English speaker) Assessment: Available online Thursday 18 - Tuesday 23 April 2024. Can be completed any time.: passed
The next set of dates for this learning event has not yet been scheduled.