Academic Writing

Overview

"Like stones, words are laborious and unforgiving, and the fitting of them together, like the fitting of stones, demands great patience and strength of purpose and particular skill"

- Edmund Morrison

At Capstone, we believe that mastering writing is critical to academic success at both the secondary and tertiary levels of education.   While it is easy to identify “good” writing as a reader, it is much more difficult as the writer to produce outstanding compositions. Aside from time and effort, students require an understanding of the technical and stylistic rules that govern powerful writing. Students also need guided review of their own writing so as to identify the specific obstacles that hinder their writing potential.

Over the years, we notice that students have a mixture of shortcomings when it comes to their writing, including limited creativity and analysis, inconsistent subjects, organization and development, and countless types of grammar errors. Because of the differing demands and educational upbringing facing local and international school students, Capstone offers classes designed specifically for local school students and their international school counterparts.

The local school “sections” focus on technical grammar and writing style within a relatively rigid (and proper) essay structures while the international school sections encourage students to explore their stylistic potential by reading the writing of others and refining their own technique. Essentially, the former course focuses on technical grammar and structure while the latter focuses on style and content.

Throughout the year, instructors seek out opportunities for students to participate in writing submissions and competitions to further develop the students’ exposure. Capstone also offers numerous writing competitions throughout the year if it sees that writing opportunities are lacking for students.

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