CM220 · Composition

CM220 College Composition II sample papers, unit by unit

Reviewed by Vesta Kirkbride, MA College Composition II Purdue University Global Free custom samples in 24–48h

The second composition course is where sources have to carry weight. CM220 sample papers build a researched argument, use each source for a reason, and answer the strongest objection instead of the easiest one.

How this shelf works

Send the exact assignment or rubric from your classroom and a custom sample written to it lands in 24 to 48 hours, the first one free. CM220 is Purdue Global’s College Composition II course. It centers on building a researched argument where each source does work and the strongest counterargument is addressed. Searches like "cm 220 unit 4 assignment example", "CM220 sample paper", and "CM220 unit samples" land on this page.

What CM220 is really about

The step up from the first composition course is that evidence now has to be found, evaluated and integrated, and most of the difficulty sits in the last of those. Students locate reasonable sources and then stack them, producing papers that report what several authors said without ever making the writer's own argument visible. The criteria reward the opposite arrangement: your claim leads, and each source is brought in because it does a specific job for that claim. A paper where the sources could be reordered without loss has not integrated them, and instructors notice because the argument does not develop from paragraph to paragraph.

Counterargument is the other requirement and the one most often handled defensively. Addressing the weakest objection is easy and worth little; identifying the strongest case against your position and answering it honestly is what demonstrates command of the material. Some of the best papers concede something real and narrow the claim accordingly. Source evaluation runs alongside, since a researched argument is only as good as what it rests on, and sections generally expect you to say why a source is credible rather than assuming that being published settles it. Sections differ in how much source evaluation they grade separately, but none of them accept publication alone as a credential.

What CM220’s assessments ask for

Early units generally cover research questions and source location, often requiring an annotated bibliography where the annotation evaluates rather than summarizes. The middle of the term usually builds the argument in stages, with a proposal, an outline and a draft each graded, and the integration of sources assessed directly. Counterargument appears as its own element in most sections. Documentation style is enforced throughout and carries marks on its own. Later units typically require a full researched essay and sometimes a reflection on how the argument changed during research. A board thread accompanies each unit, most often asking you to press on a claim a classmate thought was settled. Several sections additionally ask for a short reflection on how the argument shifted once the research was actually done.

Where students lose points in CM220

The biggest loss is the stacked summary, where sources are reported in sequence and the writer's argument never emerges. Second is the strawman counterargument, answering an objection nobody serious would raise. Third is a source used without evaluation, treated as authoritative because it appeared in print. Ground also goes where citation style is applied inconsistently across a paper, where a quotation is left to make a point on its own without discussion, and where the research question turns out to have an obvious answer, which leaves the essay reporting rather than arguing. Ground also goes where the essay answers a question the sources had already settled, leaving the writer with reporting rather than an argument.

CM220 grading scale at Purdue Global: how the work is graded, from Purdue Assignments
How Purdue Global grades CM220, visualized by Purdue Assignments.

The CM220 drawers

Unit 1

CM220 Unit 1 discussion board post example

Unit 1 opens on a question you cannot already answer. On request, free, 24-48h.

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Unit 2

CM220 Unit 2 research question proposal example

Unit 2 fixes a question worth several weeks of work. On request, free, 24-48h.

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Unit 3

CM220 Unit 3 annotated bibliography example

Unit 3 evaluates each source instead of summarizing it. On request, free, 24-48h.

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Unit 4

CM220 Unit 4 source evaluation exercise example

Unit 4 asks who wrote this, for whom and why. On request, free, 24-48h.

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Unit 5

CM220 Unit 5 argument outline example

Unit 5 puts the claim first and the sources under it. On request, free, 24-48h.

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Unit 6

CM220 Unit 6 seminar reflection example

Unit 6 seminar work challenges claims classmates thought were safe. On request, free, 24-48h.

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Unit 7

CM220 Unit 7 counterargument section example

Unit 7 answers the strongest objection, not the easiest. On request, free, 24-48h.

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Unit 8

CM220 Unit 8 source integration draft example

Unit 8 keeps the writer's voice in charge between quotations. On request, free, 24-48h.

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Unit 9

CM220 Unit 9 documentation and format check example

Unit 9 applies one citation style consistently throughout. On request, free, 24-48h.

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Unit 10

CM220 Unit 10 researched argument essay example

Unit 10 delivers the argument the research actually supports. On request, free, 24-48h.

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Using a CM220 sample the right way

Read a sample by asking, at each source, what job it is doing. If you can answer in a phrase, integration is working; if a source is simply present, it is not. Then find the counterargument section and judge whether it takes on the real objection or a convenient one. Watch how the writer's own voice stays in charge between quotations. Then research your own question, since the sources are the assignment. Upload the prompt and criteria your section posted and one worked example arrives free within 24-48h. Notice too how the essay signals a shift between its own reasoning and a source's, which keeps authorship unambiguous throughout.

How these samples are written

The discipline behind every paper here: the rubric is the outline, each row gets its section, seminar-option write-ups follow their expected shape, and the format layer ships exact. Send your unit's instructions with a request and the sample matches them, revisions included.

CM220 questions, answered

How many sources do I need?

Follow the assignment, but treat the number as a floor rather than a target. What is graded is whether each one does work. Six sources each brought in for a reason beats twelve that were collected to reach a count, and padding is visible because the extra sources sit in paragraphs that do not advance anything.

How do I evaluate a source properly?

Ask who wrote it, on what basis, for whom, and whether anything about the venue or funding shapes what it concludes. Say so briefly in your annotation or your text. Treating publication as sufficient credential is the common shortcut, and sections that grade evaluation separately are looking for exactly that gap.

What if research changes my mind?

Follow the evidence and say so if the assignment invites reflection. A revised position reached through research is a stronger outcome than one defended against it, and several sections grade that reflection directly. What loses marks is holding an original claim while the sources you cite quietly point elsewhere.