A basic writing course designed for college freshmen who do not score high enough on entrance examinations to qualify for regular composition courses emphasizes the positive aspects of a student's writing. The nongraded course consists of four components: journal writing, grammar instruction, in-class paragraph writing, and controlled composition. The journals are used to establish rapport between students and the instructor; instead of grading the entries, the instructor writes comments about their content. Grammar instruction involves a mastery learner method. A test is administered after each unit; if a student achieves a certain level, the unit is considered completed and the next one is begun. Students who do not achieve mastery must review the material with the instructor and be retested. The weekly paragraphs are reviewed in tutorial conferences where the students read their works aloud and the instructor comments on them. If corrections are needed, the instructor asks for a rewrite. In the controlled composition component of the course the students copy a model composition or rewrite it according to instructions. This exercise provides students with practice in the forms that give them the most trouble and also teaches proofreading. Through these techniques the course eliminates the negatives of grading and failure and presents the possibility of error-free writing. (FL)