本书第一章主要通过介绍Essay这一体裁的分类，让学生理解大学申请文书（Personal Essay)的文体特征，尤其是文书写作的语言风格，写作目的。同时例举中国高中生在文书写作中所犯的典型错误。这些错误主要来自文化与语言的差异。第二章介绍文书各类题目特点，并通过例子来阐释如何满足文书题目要求。第三章着重引导学生如何寻找自身的特长，学业目标，价值观等，并通过这些来组织写作素材，如何构思并形成文章。第四章指导学生如何研读范文，修改范文，理解优秀文书的评价标准。这章重点例举了文书写作的文法与修改方法，并对历届优秀范文进行点评与修改。

CHAPTER ONE Introduction to Essays1.1 Essay Problems
1.2 Essay Terms
1.3 Essay Types
1.3.1 Persuasive
1.3.2 Expository
1.3.3 Creative
1.3.4 Narrative
1.4 Personal Narrative Essays
1.4.1 Overall Structure
1.4.2 Showing, Voicing, Highlighting
1.4.3 Conveying Important Information
1.4.4 Why Are You Writing?
1.4.5 What Would You Like the Audience to Understand?
1.4.6 What Is the Reader Expecting?
1.4.7 So What?
CHAPTER TWO Responding to the Prompt2.1 Introduction to Prompts
2.2 The Standard Long Essay
2.2.1 Share Your Story
2.2.2 Define, Describe, and Signify "Your Community"
2.2.3 Discuss an Important Accomplishment
2.2.4 Talk Successfully about a Challenge or Failure
2.2.5 Talk Successfully about Challenging Authority (Status Quo)
2.2.6 Share Your Insights on a Problem
2.3 Short and Alternative Form Essays
2.3.1 Explain Your Involvement in an Activity
2.3.2 Why Major
2.3.3 Why School
2.3.4 Personal Statements
2.3.5 Abstract
CHAPTER THREE Self-Reflection and Brainstorm
3.1 Finding a Topic
3.1.1 Content that Doesn't Work Well (and Why)
3.1.2 Content that Tends to Work Well
3.2 Skills,Goals,and Values
3.2.1 Assessing Skills-Strengths and Weaknesses
3.2.2 Determining Goals—What You Want to Do
3.2.3 Assessing Values-What You Care about
3.3 The Drafting Process
3.3.1 Selection
3.3.2 Outline
CHAPTER FOUR Reviewing and Reading Essays in Practice
4.1 Grammar and Editing
4.1.1 Grammatical Detail
4.1.2 Editing
4.2 Reading Narrative Essays
4.2.1 Rubric
4.2.2 Resource: Full Mark-Up Essay Examples
4.2.3 Concluding Remarks
APPENDIX Resource and Exercise Collection
Appendix 1 List Making
Appendix 2 Thinking Deeper
Appendix 3 Full Prompts
Appendix 4 Brainstorm Worksheet
Bibliography