Poor quality writing skills among undergraduate geography students is a significant concern among university instructors. This article reports on a multipronged strategy aimed at improving student writing in a large, first-year human geography course. The strategy emphasized ways to provide effective feedback through teaching assistant training, criterion referenced assessment, draft and final submission, peer review, and in-class writing exercises. Writing activities focused on building geographic understanding by emphasizing geographical content and spatial connections through map and data interpretation. Success of the strategy was evaluated by examining student grades, as well as the quality and content of their written work.