A practicum addressing the problems of low motivation and poor writing quality of 50 underachieving 9th-grade basic skills students is described in this report. The objectives were to increase motivation among the students and to improve the quality of their essay writing. Peer tutoring was used as a method for encouraging students to help each other improve their writing. Students were assigned nine essays to write in a 3-month period. Evaluations were done by fellow classmates, upper classmen, the Senior English teacher, and the Basic Skills teacher. Both conferencing and constructive written criticism were used for correction and improvement. Grading was accomplished by using a holistic scoring chart. Topics were chosen by the teacher in accordance with the state graduation examination so that the students would be well prepared at the time of testing. A plan was developed whereby each student had the opportunity to work with different partners, groups, and students from other classes. A survey assessed the students' attitudes about writing essays. Analysis of the data revealed that the participants' writing improved. Some attitudes about writing were also improved. The data in the practicum showed that self-esteem was enhanced when students worked together, a factor that caused their writing attitudes and abilities to improve. (One table is included; 22 references and 2 appendixes--containing the student questionnaire and a list of essay topics--are attached.) (Author/PRA)