The Reflection Letter
The only new piece of writing you are required to complete is a reflection letter. Your EWRAP evaluators assume you’ll choose the essays in your portfolio for specific reasons — but they won’t know what those reasons are. Thus, they’re asking you to explain those reasons in a letter.
In this reflection, you’ll do two things:
You’ll help your readers see the essays the way that you see them
You’ll reflect on your development as a critical thinker, reader, and writer. In both respects, your reflection will help your readers understand your portfolio.
What Do I Write About in the Reflection Letter?
Look at the Criteria of Writing Proficiency. Then, tell us which essay best demonstrates the criteria (in other words: which essay do you think is your strongest work?). Please explain why this is your strongest essay, and how it best represents your capabilities as a writer. Specifically:
Tell us the position that you take in this essay, and why you took this position.
Tell us what was the most convincing evidence you used in support of that position and why.
Tell us any other aspect of this essay that you’re proud of.
Then, explain how the essay you discussed above (your strongest work) is different from the other essays in your portfolio. You might consider:
Are these differences the result of a different audience, purpose, or context for the essays?
Are some differences because these are different types of essays?
Do the differences represent changes in your writing skill?
Then, please discuss your portfolio in terms of your growth as a writer. Specifically:
Tell us how these essays demonstrate your growth as a writer.
Or, if you’d prefer, tell us how these essays reveal to you what you’d still like to work on as a writer. Either way, refer to specific examples within your essays to help you explain this.
Finally, feel free to discuss what factors (tutors? professors? peers? a new-found commitment to writing?) have aided your growth as a writer.
If there’s anything else you want to tell us about your writing, please include it in your reflection.
There are no formatting requirements for the reflection letter. Please answer the questions above as best as you can. If a guideline helps, most reflection letters are around 300-500 words, though you’re welcome to write more.