iBR

Unit 1 Writing Exercise – Diagnostic Essay

Directions: Write a well-developed and organized essay of at least 750 words (about three pages) for modern audiences titled "On Writing" that explains your thoughts on writing.  Use evidence from your own opinions and experiences about writing in the past (inside and/or outside of school) to formulate the reasoning to support your claim.  Consider some of the questions listed below as you draft your essay: 

· What is writing?

· What do you like most about writing, and what don’t you like?

· What does your writing process look like?  

· What is the value of written communication today?  What is the value of taking college composition/writing courses or passing a Writing Proficiency Exam (WPE)?

· What are the most important factors writers should consider when creating texts? What about the craft is considered most important?

· What problems have you faced as a writer? What are your strengths?

· What part of the writing process or which type of writing has been/is the most challenging for you? Why? In other words, reflect even more deeply on some of your weaknesses as a writer. How have you overcome these challenges?

· What part of the writing process/what writing advice has been the most helpful to you?

· What specific writing skills would you like to address and improve during COM 3101 class? What would be most helpful for you to learn and practice in this class to overcome any gaps in your writing skills?

Additional notes: Again, in your essay, while you may only want to address some of the above questions, it’s probably a good idea to do some fastwriting on all of them and then go back and formulate your final response.  Doing so will help your essay be more specific, thoughtful and descriptive.  Be sure to proofread and double check your essay for proper spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, organization, etc. 

Because you do not have a lot of time to work on this short response, I don't expect any literary masterpieces, but I will be looking for the basics:

· a clear thesis that identifies the subject of the piece and presents the main claim(s) to be discussed in the rest of the essay,

· paragraphs that are well focused on proving just one main point,

· ideas developed and supported with plenty of specific details,

· a clear presentation of your ideas, and

· sentences free or almost free from errors

Do not worry if these expectations sound intimidating; just do the best job you can in the short time you have to write your response. We will continue to improve your writing skills throughout the semester.