Essay: Process Analysis
Your project must be submitted as a Word document (.docx, .doc)*. Your project will be individually graded by your instructor and therefore may take up to five to seven days to grade.
Be sure that each of your files contains the following information:
Your name
Your student ID number
The exam number (355102)
To submit your graded project, proceed to the Lesson Assignment page in the course. Follow the instructions provided to upload the file and submit it for grading.
Be sure to keep a backup copy of any files you submit to the school!
After your assignment has been graded, feedback will be available on the Lesson Assignment page within the course. It will have an option to download the feedback from the instructor.
Process Analysis Essay
For this assignment, you’ll prepare a 1,100–1,200 word process analysis essay that incorporates narration and description, using elements from your process analysis prewriting assignment.
You may not submit this essay until you’ve received your grade and instructor feedback on your prewriting exam.
While you’re waiting for your prewriting to be evaluated, you should do the following:
Review the reading assignments.
Prepare a rough draft of your classification and division essay so that you’re ready to revise when you receive feedback on your prewriting.
Assignment Objectives
For this essay, you must do the following:
Use prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing to write a formal, college-level essay.
Distinguish among different patterns of development.
Apply an appropriate pattern of development to a specific purpose and audience.
Write an effective thesis statement.
Develop paragraphs using topic sentences, adequate detail, supporting evidence, and transitions.
Apply the conventions of standard written American English to produce a correct, well-written essay.
Topic
Your purpose is to illustrate the process you use to manage your time to successfully balance your home, work, and school responsibilities. You should identify and describe the steps you’ve taken and illustrate to your readers how these steps have worked for you.
Tip for Success: Be sure to check out the resources available to you in the Learning Resource Center for videos and worksheets to help you complete this assignment.
You’ll be writing in the first-person point of view because this is your process. Your audience is other Penn Foster students. The goal is to show your readers how you manage your time, not to instruct them on how to do it. Don’t use second person or use “you” to address your readers. While the audience is other Penn Foster students, focus on explaining how you manage your time.
Writing Your Essay
In your prewriting, you focused on what’s happening in your life. For your formal essay, you’ll revise and reorganize your prewriting to create an essay that shows other students how you manage your time when taking online courses, maintaining a job, and focusing on family responsibilities.
You’ll use your prewriting as your foundation, but it will require major reorganization and revision to include the following:
An introductory paragraph with a thesis statement that addresses the purpose of the essay
Three to four body paragraphs that each begin with a topic sentence that identifies a step, tool, or technique you included in your second prewriting paragraph. Each body paragraph should then build on that step, tool, or technique with the narration and description from your first prewriting paragraph. Each body paragraph should fully describe how you implemented the step and the benefits of this step. These steps should be discussed in the same order they’re mentioned in the thesis statement.
A conclusion that reinforces the thesis statement and purpose of the essay.
Note: Use the Process Analysis Essay Worksheet on your student portal to help you organize your essay.
Rubric
Process Analysis Essay
Advanced — Score of 100%
The essay effectively addresses the purpose of the assignment and the requirements of the prompt.
The essay provides a clear thesis statement that effectively introduces the topic, states a claim, and previews the main points of the essay.
The essay provides specific, relevant evidence to illustrate ideas and support the thesis in ways that are fresh, insightful, and engaging and uses elements of narrative, description, and process analysis to convey ideas.
The essay effectively includes an introduction paragraph with a thesis statement that engages the reader, uses topic sentences to clearly define paragraphs, uses evidence that supports the thesis statement and topic sentences, and includes a conclusion that reinforces the thesis.
The essay effectively addresses the audience through an appropriate tone and point of view.
The essay is mostly free of errors in sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, and word choice while meeting the length requirement (1,000-1,200 words) and formatting requirements using the correct header, font, and margins.
Proficient — Score of 85%
The essay adequately addresses the purpose of the assignment and the requirements of the prompt.
The essay provides a thesis statement that introduces the topic and the claim is articulated, but the main points are not outlined explicitly.
The essay provides specific evidence to illustrate ideas and support the thesis, though much of the information is obvious, and uses elements of narrative, description, and process analysis to adequately convey ideas.
The essay includes an introduction with thesis statement, but the introduction may not engage the reader. Most evidence provided is relevant to the body paragraphs, thesis statement, and topic sentences. The conclusion restates the thesis but may lack a satisfactory ending.
The essay adequately addresses the audience through an appropriate tone and point of view.
The essay is reasonably free of errors in sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, and word choice and may just fall short of or exceed the length requirements, however, the essay is formatted using the correct header, font, and margins, though some errors may be present.
Developing — Score of 70%
The essay partially addresses the purpose of the assignment and the requirements of the prompt.
The essay provides a thesis statement that is factual but offers no claim or assertion. The thesis provides direction for the essay but does not explicitly outline the main points.
The essay offers some specific evidence to illustrate ideas and support the thesis, though much of the information is obvious, and attempts to use elements of narrative, description, and process analysis, though the essay lacks consistency.
The essay includes an introduction that is underdeveloped, body paragraphs with weak topic sentences that may lack focus, logical development or evidence relevant to the thesis, and a conclusion that is underdeveloped.
The essay illustrates some awareness of audience but employs colloquial or idiomatic language, lacking appropriate tone.
The essay includes errors in sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, and word choice, some of which may interfere with meaning, and may fall short of or exceed the length requirements due to repetitive and unengaging content, while not fully addressing the topic and purpose. The essay may not employ the correct formatting.
Emerging — Score of 60%
The essay minimally addresses the purpose of the assignment and the requirements of the prompt.
The essay attempts a thesis statement, but it is factual and/or not related to the topic.
The essay offers general evidence and includes minimal narration, description, and process analysis elements, but it does not address the topic or purpose.
The essay has an introduction that does not engage the reader, includes minimally defined main ideas, isn’t organized into paragraphs, lacks topic sentences, lacks evidence that relates to the thesis, lacks transitions, and/or lacks a conclusion.
The essay addresses the appropriate audience but does not use an appropriate tone.
The essay contains some errors in sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, and word choice, making it difficult for the reader to follow and comprehend. The essay also does not meet or significantly exceeds the length requirement and does not apply the correct formatting.
Not Developed — Score of 50%
The essay does not address the purpose of the assignment or the requirements of the prompt.
The essay does not offer a thesis statement.
The essay does not provide specific, relevant evidence to illustrate ideas and support the thesis and does not employ elements of narrative, description, and process to convey ideas.
The essay has an introduction that does not engage the reader, lacks clearly defined main ideas, isn’t organized into paragraphs, lacks evidence that relates to the thesis, lacks transitions, and/or lacks a conclusion.
The essay does not address the appropriate audience and does not use an appropriate tone.
The essay contains numerous errors in sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, and word choice, making it difficult for the reader to follow and comprehend, while also not meeting the length and/or formatting requirements.
