How do I write a recommendation letter draft for a teacher to edit and submit?

A good draft should make your teacher’s job easier, not try to write a glowing speech about yourself. The best version usually reads more like a structured set of paragraphs they can revise, or even a detailed draft built from real classroom evidence, specific moments, and accurate facts.

Focus on 3 things: how they know you, what you were like in their class, and what that shows about how you will contribute in college. Keep the praise believable and tied to concrete examples. If every sentence says you were exceptional, brilliant, and unlike any student ever, it will sound fake fast.

A strong draft often includes a brief opening that says what class they taught you, how long they have known you, and a clear overall impression. Then include 2 or 3 body paragraphs with specific examples: a class discussion you led, a project you improved beyond the requirements, how you helped classmates, how you responded to feedback, or how you handled a challenge in that course.

The most useful qualities to highlight are intellectual curiosity, initiative, persistence, maturity, kindness, leadership in context, and contribution to the classroom. Pick qualities your teacher has actually seen. For example, “She asked unusually thoughtful follow-up questions during our unit on genetics and later designed her independent project around a research article she found on her own” is much stronger than “She is very passionate about science.”

Keep the tone measured and natural. Write in the third person, and use language that sounds like a teacher, not a student trying to impress admissions officers. Avoid exaggeration, dramatic claims, and long lists of awards unless they directly connect to the teacher’s experience with you.