In short
- Reread the brief and the marks you made in step 1.
- Check each of the five parts: command words, topic, limits, criteria, what to include.
- Do it once when the draft is done, while you can still change things.
- Fix the structure first, then proofread.
Essays drift. You read something interesting, follow it, and three weeks later the essay answers a slightly different question. Checking against the brief catches that while you can still fix it.
This lesson is part of step 7, write, check and hand in. It uses the five marks from step 1.
The five-part check
| Part | Ask yourself |
|---|---|
| Command words | Did I do what the verb asks? “Evaluate” needs a judgement; “compare” needs both sides side by side; “discuss” needs more than one view and a conclusion. |
| Topic | Is every section about this topic, within its scope? Cut anything off to the side, however interesting. |
| Limits | Within the word count? Covering the right dates, place or group? In the referencing style asked for? Handed in where and by when it says? |
| Criteria | For each row of the marking criteria, can I point to where I meet the top band? |
| Include | Is everything that must be there, there: a number of sources, a case study, a diagram, an appendix, a reflection? |
How to do it
Read the brief fresh
As if for the first time, with your marks from step 1 beside it.
Read only your introduction and conclusion
Do they answer the question in the brief, using its key words? If not, the rest probably drifts too.
Read the first sentence of each section
Together they should form a summary of your answer. Any that don’t belong to the question need rewriting or cutting.
Tick the five parts
Go down the table above and tick each one, noting where in your essay it’s met.
Fix, then proofread
Make the bigger changes now. Then move on to the proofreading checklist.
If you find a gap
Most gaps are quick to close once you see them. A missing judgement usually needs a paragraph near the end that weighs the evidence and says which side is stronger. A thin section needs one more source and a sentence on what it adds. A requirement you missed, like a diagram or a reflection, may need its own short section. Put each fix on a card with a date before the deadline, so it gets done and you don’t lose track.
Common mistakes
- Describing when the brief says evaluate. It’s the most common reason a well-researched essay gets an average mark.
- Going far over or under the word count. Many courses penalise it; check your rules.
- Missing a must-include, like the number of sources, because it was in a separate document.
Check against the brief in KanBananza
- The brief is marked, and then forgotten. Marked in the brief marker and sent to KanBananza, it lives in the board’s Assignments stack with every mark as a checklist item, ready to tick off now. Free
- The final checks get skipped. A Final checks card on the ready-made Essay or dissertation board holds the checklist for the last days. Free
For your level
GCSE and A level
Check the assessment objectives as well as the task, and that your work shows each one.
University
Check the module handbook for rules the brief doesn’t repeat, such as anonymous marking, the file format and the submission time.
Dissertations
Check against your approved proposal and research question, as well as the handbook. Make sure the conclusion answers the question you set yourself.
Questions
When should I check against the brief?
Once when the first draft is done, while there’s still time to change the structure, and again briefly just before you hand in.
What if my essay has drifted from the question?
Rewrite the introduction and the first sentence of each section so they answer the question directly, and cut anything that doesn’t help answer it. Drift is common and usually fixable.
What if I can’t meet one of the requirements?
Ask your teacher or tutor before the deadline. It may be negotiable, and asking early always goes down better than explaining afterwards.
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