Virginia Tech ENGL 1105: First-Year Writing

ENGL 1105 is Virginia Tech's first-year writing course — rhetorical awareness, critical reading, argument, and revision through a sequence of essays in small sections — taken by most students in their first year, with ENGL 1106 (introducing research) completing the requirement.

Fennie is independent and not affiliated with Virginia Tech. This is an unofficial study guide.

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What makes it hard

After lecture courses the small-section format is the adjustment: participation, drafts, peer review, and revision all carry grade weight, and instructors assess growth across drafts — a lightly edited resubmission reads as skipping the process. Strong high-school writers who coast on first-draft talent are the classic mid-grade surprise.

What you'll cover

• Rhetorical awareness and audience
• Critical reading and analysis
• Argument and persuasion
• Drafting and revision
• Peer review and feedback

The ENGL 1105 study guide

How to study for Virginia Tech ENGL 1105, step by step.

1
Treat every process step as graded
Drafts, peer review, participation, and conferences all count in ENGL 1105's small sections. Engagement is visible here in a way lecture courses never made it, and it's assessed accordingly.
2
Revise substantively, not cosmetically
Restructure, cut, and rebuild in response to feedback. Visible growth across drafts is precisely what instructors grade — a polished first draft resubmitted is a wasted opportunity.
3
Practice naming what texts do
Rhetorical analysis — identifying how a piece persuades, for whom, and why — is the newest skill for most freshmen. Annotate op-eds or speeches early, naming the moves before your essays must.
4
Use feedback in both directions
Bring specific questions to conferences and give peers genuine feedback. Articulating problems in someone else's draft is the fastest training for seeing your own.
5
Calendar the writing process with Fennie
Upload your ENGL 1105 syllabus and Fennie's Daily Plan schedules the draft-feedback-revision cycle so every essay gets real revision time instead of a deadline-night polish. It's free to start.
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How Fennie helps with ENGL 1105

Fennie's Daily Plans schedule ENGL 1105's draft-feedback-revision cycle so every essay gets genuine revision time instead of a deadline-night polish. Chat through your argument structure and rhetorical choices to sharpen the thinking — while the writing stays entirely yours.

FAQ

Is ENGL 1105 at Virginia Tech hard?

Not conceptually, but it's process-graded: drafts, peer review, participation, and visible revision all count. Strong high-school writers who skip the process get middling grades; average writers who engage fully often outscore them.

What's the difference between ENGL 1105 and 1106?

1105 builds the core writing and rhetorical foundation; 1106 adds research — finding, evaluating, and integrating sources into argument. Together they complete VT's first-year writing requirement.

Can I exempt ENGL 1105?

Qualifying AP/IB scores or transfer credit exempt some students from part of the requirement. Check VT's current credit-by-exam tables against your scores before registering.

Pass ENGL 1105 with a plan, not a cram

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