These goals are distilled from the National Council of Teachers of English's most recent Learning Outcomes guide, as interpreted and slightly simplified by me. The goals are supposed to represent the desired effect of a typical two-semester Freshman Composition sequence:
A1: understand the differences between the kinds of writing we are called upon to do
A2: understand the different kinds of readers and their needs and preferences
A3: make our academic writing act out our thinking, not just tell information
A4: write with a purpose (a real job to do) that the reader can share
B1: make each essay develop a single thesis point
B2: shape our ideas in steps (paragraphs) of reasoning toward a goal
B3: use the process of multiple drafting, revision, and proofreading
B4: use appropriate formality to communicate effectively
C1: think and write with other thinkers and writers in mind
C2: properly include other people’s writing in our own
C3: keep the reader clearly aware of “who’s talking” at all times
C4: properly document all of our references and borrowings
D1: correctly use commas, apostrophes, colons, semicolons, dashes, and periods
D2: correctly use the punctuation marks of quoting
D3: eliminate all sentence fragments, comma splices, and run-ons
D4: master the proper format of the research paper
E1: use a variety of forms of expression (sentence structure, for example)
E2: use patterns (such as parallelism) to enhance our clarity and grace
E3: choose our words wisely for meaning and effect
E4: make sure our sentences say only what we mean them to say