INSTRUCTIONS
PROMPT: Referring to the Essay #4 Prompt, the Formatting and Advice Sheet, and the questions below, give at least 5 meaningful ways your letter could be improved. Identify areas and strategies that will help you revise to make your letter stronger. Your answers should be particular to your essay rather than vague and general and should indicate specifically how you plan to revise.
You may use paragraph form or bullet points for your comments, but you are expected to make meaningful suggestions for improvement. Refer to paragraphs by number (or some other means) to make clear which you are referring to. Responses should be a minimum of 300 words total. Include word count at end of your response.
As you evaluate the draft and determine what aspects of your letter could be improved, consider the following questions, which mirror the prompt and reflect the main elements I’ll be looking for when I grade the final essay:
- Does your essay appear to be using proper format? If not, what is wrong and how can it be fixed?
- Does the opening paragraph provide sufficient context for the posited audience (an incoming student for an Academic Reading and Writing online class)? What could be added or clarified here?
- Does the letter contain a thesis making clear the content, purpose, and main points of the letter?
- Which of your paragraphs could use topic sentences to make the content and point of the paragraph clearer? How will you do this?
- What parts of your essay/letter need more development with specific details, examples, quotations, etc? How do you intend to boost paragraph development?
- Which parts of the letter seem weakest? Why? How could they be improved?
- Does your essay address all components of the prompt? If not, what is missing?
- Does your essay seem logically organized? How can you improve the organization?
- Does the concluding paragraph offer a relevant parting and reflection?
- Is the tone of the entire letter respectful and engaging? If not, how can you improve this?
- Does your letter contain necessary citations and a relevant Works Cited list?
- What other aspects could be improved, and how?