How To Implement Essay Feedback in Your Writing
Feedback is one of the most useful tools you can receive when writing an essay so it’s important to know how to use it. If you want to get the best grade possible then you have to apply any feedback you get to your work in the next piece. Whether it’s from friends or teachers, they might know exactly what you need to get to that next grade boundary! Here’s how to implement essay feedback:
Notice what you did well
When you get given feedback, especially from your teachers, it’s important to recognise what they liked about the essay. You might be tempted to skip straight to the negative feedback but that’s a bad way to start. Recognising your strengths is crucial so you can repeat what you’ve done right in future essays. These are the things you need to continue to do if you want to achieve the best marks. Some of your strengths you might not have realised you had so that’s another reason to check it over as it can improve your confidence going forward. Even if you feel like an essay wasn’t so good, there will always be some positive feedback to read through. Focus on that, to begin with. A little reassurance goes a long way!
Notice how to rectify those mistakes
You would hope that any feedback you do get on university essays is constructive. You don’t just want to know where you went wrong, but also how you can do better in the future. If there isn’t enough feedback to explain this, ask for clarity. When you find out where you went wrong, don’t just gloss over it, have an attempt at rectifying it. Even if it’s not crucial work, attempting to improve it will be useful long term. You could even see if your teacher would have a look over the new version and see if they think it’s improved. It’s a good way to right your wrongs before the next essay rolls around.
Notice smaller areas like grammar and spelling
It might not seem as important but you can still lose significant marks for using grammar incorrectly and making spelling mistakes. If you want to get a high grade then you don’t want to waste any marks on silly, smaller mistakes. That’s why it’s good to notice any smaller errors you may have made in your essay. If you’ve struggled to spell a word or two, practice it until you feel confident. If you’re unsure about certain grammar you’ve used, look it up to better understand. You can also use proofreading and editing services like ours to check over mistakes like them in the future. However small, the marks could still be the difference between grades so don’t waste them!
Ask about the feedback you don’t understand
Speaking of contacting teachers, one thing that is important when you get feedback is to ask if you don’t understand some of it. This is a likely occurrence, especially if you wrote about something you didn’t fully understand in your essay. Even if you do understand it, it can sometimes be a great way to find out more about what’s needed in your work. Sometimes things are just better explained in face-to-face, so send your teachers an email if you think you need some dedicated time to talk it over. You also might find you don’t fully agree with some of the feedback you’ve received. It happens from time to time, so enquiring about it can give you the explanation you’re looking for.
Do some further reading
A good idea would be to pay attention to any feedback that suggests you’ve misunderstood or need to delve deeper on a subject. Doing further reading on an area can sometimes be helpful in understanding things more and if it’s recommended by your teachers then it’s worth doing. You never know when you might approach the topic again in the future so it’s good to be prepared just in case. If you decided to do some further reading, your student library probably has a resource for just about everything you need to know so it’s a good place to start. There’s nothing better than that eureka moment when everything clicks into place!
Compare with friends
If there’s anybody that’s going to relate to you when it comes to teacher feedback, it’s your peers. A good way to make the most of feedback is to discuss it with your friends who have completed the same pieces. It’s a possibility that they have done something correctly that you struggled with. Working with your friends is always helpful and you might be able to offer some advice with their feedback too. No one is more willing to help than those closest to you, so get them to have a read and see what they’d recommend for the future!
Hopefully, this helps you get the most out of your essay feedback. We know it can be a little daunting having people judge your work but it’s the key to improving if you want someone to check over your work, check out our marking services too and we’ll be happy to provide you with feedback. Let us know if you have any other tips in the comments below. Good luck with your studies!
