Tutors who specialize in college-level writing will help students excel in the writing process. They will teach students to analyze rhetorical documents, and in certain specific subject areas, conduct critical research by examining appropriate and reliable sources. They will then help students gather their research and begin writing, often by teaching students to sketch out in-depth outlines or initial drafts.

Essay writing tutors will guide students through the required editing process by analyzing their own ideas, a skill that goes far beyond essay writing, as it is a key component where any kind of professional writing is concerned. Essay writing tutors will also help students develop the rhetorical skill to analyze their own drafts; another essential element to submitting required projects throughout their academic career, as they will confidently know when their writing is at its most eloquent and successfully articulates their argument, opinion, or topic at hand.