Written expression is a letter to the editor syle essay. Letters to the editor typically are opinion pieces written as a response to an article. The article above provides some basic information on the topic. The OSU site has a more extensive explanation of the forest. The idea is that the reader has an opinion that they want to share with others. This comes in the form of a letter. Part of the grading of the letter is on the formatting. Most of the scoring happens on the content. Not what you believe, but how well you convince the reader why they should believe what you believe. There is a sample state winning letter linked on the CDE pages under written expression. There are also letter format samples linked. Some important things to remember: make sure you letter has your name on it (since it is digital it does not need to be signed); make sure that you format the letter correctly, it is frustrating to have a beautifully written letter and the format is so bad that it really can't be scored. Letters are between 500 and 750 words.