Writing Essays and Assignments

Feedback

Another aspect of essay writing which is often overlooked is that of acknowledging feedback. You hand in an essay, completing your half of the agreement, and your teacher returns it to with a grade and notes justifying that grade. Job done?

It's easy just to see the grade and ignore everything else - after all, the essay is written, you'll never have to do it again, so why should you care what you did well and what you need to improve on, as long as the grade is ok...?

Teachers don't spend their time writing feedback for fun - it is one of the most important parts of their job and a key element of their teaching and your learning. Feedback is designed to improve your skills, knowledge and grades.

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Actively using feedback

Feedback should be read through carefully. Set some specific time aside to do this, as soon as possible after receiving your essay back. If there's anything you don't understand or you need clarified, ask your teacher about is as soon as possible, as that way it is still likely to be fresh in their mind, and you won't forget to ask later.

You should then make your own version of the notes your teacher provided and keep them in your subject file - you might write them on a separate piece of paper, or underneath the essay itself if there's room. You can sum up the feedback by answering the following questions:

1. What did I do well in this essay/assignment?
2. What did I need to improve on in this essay/assignment? (Content and Layout problems)
3. What should I make sure I improve on in my next essay?

Alternatively you could use this checklist, ticking next to the relevant core criteria, to quickly record your feedback. You may want to adapt the checklist for the specific marking criteria for your subject. Don't forget to use the 'other comments' section to summarise what you will improve on for next time and which knowledge areas you need to work on.

Before you start your next essay, quickly read back over your noted feedback, in whatever format you've used, to remind you what you need to do to improve your grade this time.

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Be Receptive to criticism - good and bad

The kind of feedback you receive on assignments will vary greatly, depending on the subject area, the type of assignment and your tutor.

Sometimes it may feel difficult experience to read comments and criticisms of your on a particular piece, especially when you thought you had performed well with the question but the feedback still appears to suggest more improvement is needed. It is easy to take such comments personally, as though you are being told what you have written is no good rather than acknowledging the effort you made.

Feedback on your writing, however, needs to be looked at as a valuable aid to skills development. You need to try and take a step back from your essays and assignments (as well as presentations, practicals, orals, etc.), and look at them as a series of exercises, each of which will result in important feedback.

Even if you do not receive feedback on your essay until after an examination (for instance, comparing your exam work or grade to a mark scheme after it is released, or receiving feedback on a mock), you can still use it to help you develop your skills (all of which will be beneficial to your future studies).

So do make sure that you read and reflect upon your feedback, and learn from it. Having direct and detailed comments on your essays and assignments can be a great opportunity to enhance your skills and knowledge.

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Here are a few more tips to help you deal with and use the feedback you receive:

Know what your grade or percentage mark means. Sometimes you might be getting As all the time in one subject, but Cs and Ds in another. This is because different subjects have different requirements and marking schemes. As well as your grade, find out what the grade boundaries and Assessment Objectives (AOs) are. If your teacher hasn't provided you with these yet, you can look up a past mark scheme on your subject's Exam Board website and check what the examiners are given as an indication of grade. Compare your grade and its requirements to the highest band and see if there's anything you could improve on.
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Don't just look at the back of your essay for comments, as teachers often make comments throughout essay.The amount of feedback you receive will vary depending on subject area and tutor. The comments may seem familiar to you - such as "you need to clarify this point" or "this essay lacks structure". You need to ensure, however, that you can make sense of these comments and that you know how to improve in this areas. If you're not sure, ask.
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Be aware that feedback often covers both the content of the essay or assignment and the way you have written it. The comments on content tend to be more specific to the subject area, and can be very useful when it comes to preparing for your next essay in that subject, or when revising for the exam. Make sure you do spend some time following up an knowledge gaps when you write up your own feedback notes. Other comments often refer to aspects of your writing, and could include your argument, structure, clarity of expression and referencing. Have a look at the feedback you have received on one of your essays or assignments and make sure you can identify which comments deal with content which deal with general writing issues.
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Talk to your fellow students. Some students may feel uncomfortable with discussing their marks and comments. But it does help to compare, contrast and discuss any comments you may have received with other students on your course. It is not always easy to fully understand what the teacher may have meant by their comments. By talking it over with other students familiar with the subject, you may gain further insight into your essay/assignment and your feedback. It is also a good idea, if your classmates are willing, to read someone else's essay, particularly if they received a better grade or better feedback than you. Is it clear why? Can you take any tips from that student's work and apply them to your own?

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So, in short: read all your feedback, re-write your feedback and review it before writing your next essay, question your feedback if you do not understand it, and - most importantly - do not be disheartened or to give up after a bad grade or negative feedback; just use it to write a far better essay next time!

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'Be Receptive' content adapted http://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/studyskills/progress/feedback/feedback_how_to.html (from material by Dr. Alyssa Phillips, Combined Studies, University of Manchester)