ELWR Appeal

2013 Update

Appeal Papers:

You are expected to “read thoughtfully and provide reasoned, concrete, and developed presentations of [your] point of view” in your papers (UCAWPE Information Booklet). In addition to responding to texts and developing sufficient examples with acceptable reasoning, passing papers must be focused and purposeful. Please note that you are also expected to have effective control over conventional written English syntax, vocabulary, and mechanics.

In both exam settings and in your take-home essay assignments, creating passing essays requires that you carefully edit and revise. In both cases, you must also create a purposeful, cohesive narrative that is sufficiently developed with examples. The benefit of the take-home version (besides not having to sit two hours in an exam setting) is that you have multiple opportunities to revise, making truly major changes and creating very good essays in response to various feedback you receive from peers, writing assistants, and writing instructors. Perhaps this longer writing process is what you require to successfully create passing work.

In your Appeals Portfolio, you have the opportunity to show that you can, and do, write passing papers in your regular (take-home) essay writing, though not in the exam setting. You can pass ELWR with a good Appeals Portfolio. Note: you must still sit the exam. (You can’t appeal the exam result if there is no result!)

The ELWR Exam is Saturday, XXX

• Students needing exam accommodation should contact the Disability Resource Center at least one week before the exam at 459-2089 or by e-mail at drc@ucsc.edu.

Appeals Portfolios are due _____ to your instructor (some instructors may be able to accept them Weds, but you should confirm this).

Your portfolio must contain:

Student Checklist for Appeal Packets

_____ Is the appeal in a large envelope (no folding of papers needed) or a pocketed folder?

_____ Have you provided the following information on the front of the envelope/folder: full

name, ID number, college, Core instructor name, Core section number?

_____ Have you included a cover letter (see below) produced without instructor or tutor

feedback?

_____ Have you included multiple drafts of 2-3 Core papers?

_____ Have you arranged the multiple versions chronologically with your first or rough draft

on the top and the most recent version on the bottom?

_____ Have you labeled each version of each essay (draft 1, draft 2, tutorial draft, final

version for class, rewrite after instructor feedback, etc.)?

_____ Have you dated each version of each essay? (Approximate dates are fine, but be as

specific as you can.)

_____ For each paper, have you included at least one draft with instructor comments?

_____ For each paper, have you included a copy of the original assignment (when possible)?

An instructor recommendation and your most recent AWPE will be added to your appeal

after you submit it.

The cover letter should be 1-2 pages long and should do the following:

• describe your writing process with reference to the particular essays in the appeal

packet

• describe the way your writing has developed over the quarter with reference to the

particular essays in the appeal packet

• highlight your strengths as a writer with reference to the particular essays in the appeal

packet

• acknowledge any remaining weaknesses in your writing with reference to the particular

essays in the appeal packet and your plans for addressing those weaknesses as you

continue your studies at UCSC.

In you have any questions, check with your instructor.

Back to ELWR page