CHECKLIST FOR ESSAY WRITING
STRUCTURE AND COHERENCE
TITLE
Does your title provide a clue to your thesis?
INTRODUCTION
1. Does your introduction prepare the reader for the discussion of the topic?
2. Do you define your topic (i.e. Is your thesis specific?)
3. Do you justify your choice of topic (i.e. is your thesis arguable and worth arguing?
4. Do you indicate your approach?
5. Would much be lost if you eliminated the first sentence? The second? The ...?
6. Does your introduction promise a sophisticated, relevant and entertaining piece of work?
BODY
1. Is it clear where the introduction ends and the body begins?
2. Is there a clear link between each paragraph and the next? (Key words? Link words?)
3. Do these transitions avoid mechanical repetition?
4. Does each paragraph have one controlling argument or idea, made explicit in the topic sentence?
5. Do your paragraphs move coherently from point to point? (Key words? Link words?)
6. Do you support each idea/argument with verifiable evidence, exemplification, quotation, illustration?
7. Have you arranged the paragraphs in a purposeful order?
8. Is each paragraph relevant to your thesis?
9. Is each paragraph consistent in its use of
- person (first, second, third) ?
- number (singular/plural) ?
- tense (present/past) ?
- tone (register, emotion) ?
CONCLUSION
1. Do you signal your conclusion?
2. Does your conclusion follow logically from points argued in the body?
3. Is the conclusion relevant to the purpose of the paper?
4. Is the conclusion clearly related to the introduction?
CHECKLIST FOR ESSAY WRITING
ACCURACY AND STYLE
1. Have you used the active voice where possible?
2. Have you chosen precise words instead of general/vague ones like ‘things’, ‘people’?
3. Have you used a range of words and expressions?
4. Are you sure each word has the correct spelling?
5. Can you provide a reason for each punctuation mark?
6. How about apostrophes (it’s/its; who’s/whose; the reader’s.../the readers’...?
7. Have you acknowledged all sources?
8. Have you applied the rules on quotation and citation?
9. Have you avoided careless use of:
-being instead of a finite verb
-throughout to mean in
-quote used as a noun
-etc. (what does etc. mean ?)
-centre around’ (huh?)
-message
-affect/effect
-(add your own quirks)
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10 Have you experimented with various ways of expressing your thoughts and chosen the best?
11 Have you used a variety of sentence structures?
12 Are all your sentences complete – i.e. does each one contain a finite verb?
13 Do you use parallel phrasing where appropriate?
14 Have you asked someone to read your draft?
15 Have you put titles of books and long poems in italics?
16 Do you indicate the start of a new paragraph in the accepted manner?
17 do you align paragraphs left and right?
18 Have you used a font size of 12 pts max.?
19 Have you used double spacing?
20 Have you avoided contractions in formal writing?
For detailed information on the nuts and bolts of writing, consult the MLA style handbook in the ISSE library or one of the many useful websites. One such is the Online Writing Lab (OWL)
For the basics