A study was conducted to obtain descriptive data on whether a student is aware of an audience when writing, what students perceive as the purpose of a persuasive writing assignment, and what steps comprise their writing process. Approximately 500 tenth grade student essays, prompted by an assignment based on the theme of the literature the class was studying, were graded holistically. Subsequent interviews with four randomly selected students revealed that the subjects approached writing tasks from a limited perspective about the internal aspects of the assignment. They also expressed few variations in the steps engaged in to complete the process. Those who scored highest on the essay revealed that they had thought through the assignment, and they also seemed to try to improve their writing. Planning and revision were seldom used by any of the students. (HTH)