Course Writing Expectations

In this course, students will complete a variety of writing tasks designed to build academic skills, critical thinking, and rhetorical precision. Below is an outline of the expected writing workload for an A-level student; someone who completes all assignments as intended.

This includes both Formal Writing (graded, structured work like essays, exams, debates) and Informal Writing (drafts, reading logs, journals, annotations, and class exercises).

Semester 1

English 12 Honors

Semester 2

ENGL C1001 (with Allan Hancock College Credit)

Unit 1: Reflecting on Roots

~2,000 words (Reading Logs, Notes)

~500-word Baseline Essay + Written Exam (~400 words)

Unit 2: Memoir & Analysis

~2,000 words (Logs, Drafts)

~800 words total (Personal Narrative & Exams)

Unit 3: Gothic & Romantic Literature

~2,500 words (Logs, Drafts)

~800–1,000 words (Double In-Class Writing Exams)

Unit 4: Shakespeare & Deconstruction

~2,300 words (Journaling & Paraphrasing Shakespeare)

~800–1,000 words (Double In-Class Writing Exams)

Semester 1 Estimated Totals:

Informal Writing: ~8,800 words

Formal Writing: ~3,500–3,700 words

Unit 5: Invisible Powers & Representation

~3,000 words (Logs, Annotations)

~1,400 words total (Speech & Timed Essay)

Unit 6: Logic & Fallacies

~500–1,000 words (Notes, Exercises)

~500 words (Logical Argument & Map)

Unit 7: Socratic Method & Ethics

~500–1,000 words (Socratic Prep)

No formal written exam (Discussion-based)

Unit 8: Toulmin Debate Project

~1,000 words (Drafts, Research)

~2,000 words (Formal Debate Outline & Rebuttal)

Unit 9: Rogerian & Falsification Argument

~1,000 words (Drafting, Reflection)

~1,000 words (Formal Rebuttal or Counter-Argument)

Unit 10: Echoes & Reflection

Optional, creative work (~500 words typical)

No graded writing (Closure activities)

Semester 2 Estimated Totals:

Informal Writing: ~7,500–8,500 words

Formal Writing: ~4,900 words

Full-Year Estimated Writing Totals

Informal Writing: ~16,000–17,500 words

Formal Writing: ~8,500–8,700 words

Combined Total: ~24,500–26,200 words

This writing sequence exceeds the minimum 5,000-word college requirement for ENGL C1001 and prepares students for college-level writing, critical thinking, and rhetorical argumentation.