This project was designed (1) to identify superior and poor writers of expository composition from the ninth-grade students in Burroughs Jr. High School in Detroit who received mental ratings of A through C- on the California Test of Mental Maturity, and (2) to determine the qualities that are characteristic of superior writers. Three evaluators selected the best two compositions out of three for each student and rated the papers on the basis of organization, maturity of insight, word choice, and style. Superior writers were identified as students whose composite score placed them in the upper 20% of their I.Q. group. Qualities characteristic of superior writers were determined by examining the papers with regard to 52 specific items grouped under seven major headings. Superior writers generally (1) had high intelligence ratings or were placed in challenging classes in homogeneously grouped schools, (2) came from homes where parents bought books, (3) scored high in reading comprehension, verbal reasoning, and vocabulary tests, (4) made fewer mechanical errors, (5) achieved higher and more consistent grades in English, (6) behaved better in class, (7) were white girls, (8) had decided on a future career, (9) preferred courses with a language arts base, and read often. (Author/MP)