Collins Writing Types

John J. Collins, an educational writing scholar, identified five types of writing in which students engage.  Different types of writing require different amounts of effort and different grading.  Notice that the writing types closely mirror the five steps of the writing process.

All of the following writing types require skipped lines. (See additional notes at bottom of page.)

Type 1 - Capture Ideas: Students are brainstorming.  T1 writing is timed and requires a minimum number of items or lines.  Questions and/or guesses are permitted.  When graded, evaluated with a check or a minus.

Type 2 - Respond Correctly: Demonstrates that the writer knows something about a topic or has thought about the topic.  T2 writing is a correct answer to a specific question.  When graded, evaluated as a quiz.  Students only do one draft (rough draft is final draft).

Type 3 - Edit for FCAs (Focus Correction Areas): Has substantive content and meets up to three specific standards called focus correction areas.  It must meet the following criteria: completes the assignment, is easy to read, meets the standards set by the FCAs.  Revision and editing are done on the original draft.   Students only do one draft (rough draft is final draft).

Type 4 - Peer Edit for FCAs: T3 writing that is read and critiqued by another.  This should be a second draft (T3 corrected and rewritten).

Type 5 - Publish: Writing is of publishable (final draft) quality.  This requires multiple drafts.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:  For T1 and T2, label the type on the top left-hand side of the paper.  For T3 and T4, list FCAs on top left-hand side.  T3 and T4 papers should be saved and used to practice editing skills.