DuPont Competition
For this essay you will take the research and experimentation that you have done as a group
and write an individual essay showcasing your own written abilities. Each student will write
their own essay, but they will use their group topic and research. This essay is to showcase
individualized mastery of research and essay writing, but also to display an understanding of
your project. You do not have to submit your essay to the DuPont competition, but the essay
will be a grade for the class.
Look at the following Rules and guidelines for completing the essay.
Rules:
A large number of student essays are disqualified for overlooking the following basic competition rules:
•The student’s name cannot appear on the essay.
•The student must include a word count (not including the bibliography) at the end of the essay.
•The essay must have a clear connection to science and/or technology.
•Students may not submit essays below 700 words or above 1000 words.
•In addition to writing about a noteworthy science and/or technology development, students should write their essays with care observing the
standard rules of grammar and mechanics. We very strongly encourage students to proofread their work a few times before submission.
Guidelines to Prepare a Winning Essay:
So you've chosen the challenge you want to address. Now how can you increase your chances of writing a winning essay? One of the most
important things to remember is that this should be a science essay rather than a science report. We make an important distinction between
these two writing approaches for the purpose of this competition. Reports and essays are two very different things:
•A report’s purpose is to provide information. An effective report is clearly written and well organized, and it tells readers things that they did
not know before about a topic that is worth knowing more about. (Organization, Idea Development)
•An essay also provides information—but it does more. An essay not only gives facts about its subject but shows its writer’s enthusiasm for and
intellectual involvement with that subject. In an essay, unlike a report, the writer lets his or her personality come through. (Writer’s style and
voice)
A science essay is a journey. Think of it as the record created by a person who has ventured out to the edge of scientific discovery through his or
her research, and has come back with a new understanding of it—a new understanding that he or she is eager to share with others.
Here are several other things to consider before you begin:
•Have a point and develop it in a clear, organized way. Essays can either be expository (explaining a concept, theory, experiment, etc.) or
persuasive (arguing for an explanation, approach, or course of action), but all of them need to have a point. Illustrate it with good evidence
from a variety of sources, and develop it in a logical way. Don’t assume the reader knows as much about your subject as you do—in fact, don’t
assume the reader knows anything about it at all! Think, “If I knew nothing about this, or even why it is important, what would I need to read in
order to understand?” Answer that question for yourself. Then, that is what you should write.
•Show why your subject matters. Essay readers will be interested in why your subject is important to “the real world”—today’s world, or
tomorrow’s. It is part of your challenge to address this issue directly.
•Write more than one draft. Some successful writers have said that grinding out the first draft is the difficult part of writing—and then revising
it is the “fun” part. Revision is fun because it is the part of the writing process in which you turn your raw material into something that truly
communicates. When you revise, make sure you catch all those errors in grammar, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and so on that we all
make in first drafts. Also, look with a critical eye at the organization of your essay: Is the information presented in a clear order? Do transitions
help the argument to flow smoothly?
•Use the help your teacher can offer. You may not be the best editor for your own writing, because you know too well what you were “trying to
say.” Your teacher can read your work at any stage and offer useful comments that will sharpen your essay and make it more effective. Your
teacher can also suggest research sources that may help you to back up your points more effectively.
DuPont Writing Rubric
Organization Style
3
2
1
-The essay is objective
and clear with a thesis
statement, body
paragraphs, and
conclusion.
-written in an
informational format
-The essay
shows the
writer’s voice
through various
narrative
techniques and
carefully chosen,
varied sentences
to create an
effect and
emphasize the
purpose.
Idea
Conventions Writing
Development
Process
-Various methods of
idea development are
used. i.e. cause effect,
description,
compare/contrast,
chronological,
sequential, narrative
-The author
maintains a formal
style and correct
usage of English
language
conventions such
as grammar and
punctuation.
Comments:
Comments:
3 = Mastery
2= Almost mastery--missing 1 or 2 key elements
1= Underdeveloped--missing 2 or more key elements
-The author
shows all of
the phases of
the writing
process
practice in
class.