Are you good at writing? How well can you tackle a writing assignment at the college? Can you look at your papers objectively and tell how engaging they are? This is the problem of most students. While they are forced to do a lot of writing almost every day, they rarely pay attention to the quality of their writing.
Is there a way to fix that? Sure. Just ask for feedback or do some comparison. If you are still not sure about where to go, we have prepared a list of ways for you to answer the bothering question, “How good is my essay?”
1. Use a Grammar-Checking Tool
This will help you understand how good your grammar and punctuation are. Besides, services like Grammarly deal not only with grammar mistakes; they can help you improve your writing style. Just run your paper through such a tool and see how many corrections you will get.
2. Give It to a Friend
Friends are here to help us. So, why not ask them to proofread your essay and give you some feedback? If you have an especially smart friend, be sure to collect his or her comments in the first place. After you get your review, do not forget to thank your friend with some little treat.
3. Ask Your Supervisor to Check It
No one can stop you from giving your essay directly to your supervisor before submitting it. After all, this is the person who has particular expectations regarding your essay and knows the requirements well. He/she will provide you with valuable feedback for sure.
4. Ask Your Relatives to Check It
Why not ask your relatives to help you? Maybe your grandma used to work as a journalist, or your uncle is a literature geek. Ask them to say what they think of your essay and give you some advice on improving it.
5. Compare It to the Existing Guidelines or Standards
This should be the first thing on your list. Such a check will show you whether you have achieved the goals for the particular essay or whether you have addressed all the issues in the logical order. Read the guidelines carefully – maybe you will even find some useful hints there.
6. Use the Services of Writing Agencies
Consider this option not as the last resort, but rather as a valid way to get professional help. Writers who work with such services are usually well-experienced, so they will be able to give you a decent feedback.
7. Read Sample Essays
On the Internet you can find a database of students’ essays on different topics and read them. Try to understand what exactly you like about them and what you do not. Take notes of the best moments, as well as of grave mistakes. Is your essay worse or better than the ones you’ve found?
So, you’ve done collecting feedback and comparing your writing to the existing standards. Now you know that your paper is good enough. However, if you are not sure whether your paper is ok — now is the time to use what you’ve learned. Analyze all your big and small mistakes and edit your essay once again to correct them. Improve your writing like this once in a while, and be sure: one day, your essays will become just brilliant!