Graduate Programs: Writing Skills Requirement
At the June 23, 1992 Department Meeting it was approved in principle that STAT 551 should have a prerequisite of a "reasonable level" of writing ability in English. (Writing skills are important, not only in STAT 551, but also in thesis writing and in obtaining employment.) The following outlines the details of this policy.
All students who intend to take STAT 551 and who have not taken a first year university English course at an English language university, are required to write the LPI (Language Proficiency Index) test which is administered by UBC.
The LPI is a two and a half hour test that consists of four parts:
- short answer questions identifying errors in sentence structure;
- identifying errors in English usage;
- one sentence summaries of paragraphs;
-
a section requiring students to choose from a list of approximately nine general topics and to write an essay of 300-400 words.
The LPI is marked on a scale of 1 to 6, with 1 being the lowest level. Students will be expected to receive a score of 4 in order to be allowed to remain registered in STAT 551 in January.
The department will reimburse students for the application fee.
The LPI exam is also given to first year UBC undergraduates. Details, including exemptions, are described in UBC Calendar.
