Pass the Writing Test There

¶ … Pass the Writing Test There are few things more important in a modern education than the development of university-level writing skills. The ability to communicate is so ingrained in society that English language deficiency limits both progress and potential. My story echoes those of many other foreigners who are part of America's rich cultural melting pot. I arrived here at the age of 16 with only the most basic knowledge of the English language. But since then, I have worked to improve my writing skills.

I have taken many courses, studied extensively and spent hundreds of hours working on my own. This semester I have improved my structure, my introductions and my tone. As a result of this hard work, I possess university level English writing skills. Over the past semester, my writing has progressed significantly. The improvement demonstrated in my "Torture" essay illustrates my transition from a shaky writer of limited skills to a confident writer capable of producing strong university-caliber essays.

The differences in the first paragraphs of the rough draft and the final version are striking. The opening paragraph of the first draft was not striking. It was filled with vague statements that led to a weak thesis. In the final draft, there was marked improvement. I grabbed the reader right away with a strong statement. My setup was gripping and it was timely. Moreover, it led directly to my thesis statement. My "Counterfeits, Fakes and the World Economy" essay demonstrated similar progression.

I made some strong points in the first draft, but the structure overall was somewhat disorganized. The latest draft of that paper demonstrates stronger flow. Each paragraph lends support to my thesis statement. As a result, the final result is a more cohesive work. I use structural strength to better effect now than I did at the beginning of this term. In this paper as in the "Torture" paper I have demonstrated an improvement in my use of tone.

The early versions of these papers were not written with a formal academic voice. The casual tone detracted from the potency of the arguments I presented. The latest versions of these papers have a more professional tone to them. The papers read like academic papers, rather than op-ed pieces. I consider this one of the most important transitions I have made this semester. There is still room for improvement in my work. I can see even now, looking at those papers, some instances where the tone is inappropriate.

I have worked hard to build strong introductions but I can see that the theses in both of these papers are not yet strong enough. I know that quality writing flows from quality research. I hope to continue to improve my writing in the coming months by developing stronger theses and allowing my research to.