Have the student explain the paper topic to you and identify any problems she thinks her paper may have.
Avoid writing on the student's paper. Let her hold the paper and share it with you.
Don't edit. Oftentimes, students will hand a writing tutor a paper and say, "Edit this for me." But if you do that, you don't help your student learn. Offer to teach her to edit instead.
Teach with examples. It's hard to write an effective conclusion if you've never seen one. Show the student a couple of good papers on related subjects so she knows what she's working toward.
Start by encouraging the student to brainstorm ideas and get them on paper. You might even take notes while she brainstorms aloud.
After brainstorming, help her start to organize her paper. Ask her to identify which ideas go together.
After the student has written a couple of drafts, begin the sentence-level editing process. Encourage her to identify her own errors and show her how to look up corrections in a style guide.
Remind students that multiple drafts are necessary. No great writer "gets it" on the first draft!
If a student has a lot of grammar errors, take the time to teach the grammar principle behind the mistake.
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