In short
- Find the criteria before you start: the assignment page, the handbook or the exam board.
- Read the top band first. It describes the work you’re aiming for.
- Underline the verbs that change between bands: “describes” becomes “evaluates”.
- Turn each criterion into a question you can check your draft against.
Two essays can be equally well written and get very different marks. Usually the difference is that one answered what the marker was looking for. The marking criteria tell you exactly that, and most students never read them.
This lesson is part of step 1, break down the brief. In the brief marker, criteria are the fourth mark.
Where to find them
- School and college: the mark scheme or assessment objectives from your exam board (AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC and others publish them), or the sheet your teacher gives out with coursework.
- University: the module handbook or the assignment page on Moodle, Canvas or Blackboard. Look for “marking criteria”, “rubric”, “grade descriptors” or “assessment criteria”.
- Not there? Ask. Every marked piece has criteria, and asking for them is a normal question.
How to read them
Read the rows
Each row is one thing being marked: often argument, use of evidence, structure, and referencing or presentation. Some rows count for more than others; if there are weightings, note them.
Start with the top band
Read what the best work looks like before you read anything else. That’s your target, and it’s usually more specific than you expect.
Compare two bands side by side
Look at what changes between, say, the 60s and the 70s. The difference is usually one or two verbs: “describes” becomes “critically evaluates”, “uses sources” becomes “synthesises a wide range of sources”.
Translate each row into a question
“Critical evaluation of evidence” becomes “Do I say how strong each study is, not just what it found?”. You now have a checklist written in your own words.
Keep them beside you
Look at the questions when you plan, again halfway through writing, and once more before you hand in.
An example
A first-year essay is marked on four rows. Here is one of them, at two bands, and the question it turns into:
| Band | Use of evidence |
|---|---|
| 60 to 69 | Uses a good range of relevant sources to support the argument. |
| 70 and above | Critically evaluates a wide range of sources, weighing their strengths and limits, and uses them to build an independent argument. |
The jump is from using sources to judging them. The question for your checklist: “For each main source, have I said why it’s convincing, or where it falls short?”
Common mistakes
- Reading them after writing. By then the structure is fixed. Read them on day one.
- Only reading the pass band. It tells you the minimum, not what to aim for.
- Ignoring the small rows. Referencing and presentation are often 10 to 20% of the mark, and the easiest marks to get.
Keep the criteria in view in KanBananza
- The criteria are in a different document from the brief. Paste them into the brief marker with the brief and mark them as Criteria. Each one becomes a checklist item on the assignment. Free
- You forget them once you start writing. The assignment sits in the Assignments stack beside your board, so the checklist is there every time you open it. Free
- The wording is hard to decode. Ask Pip to Explain it for my subject on a marked phrase. Pip
For your level
GCSE and A level
Coursework and NEA are marked against assessment objectives (AO1, AO2 and so on). Find out how many marks each one carries, and make sure every AO appears somewhere in your work.
University
Grade descriptors often apply to the whole year, not one essay, so they can sound vague. Ask your tutor which rows matter most for this piece.
Dissertations
Look for rows on originality, methodology and critical reflection: these carry more weight than in shorter essays.
Questions
What are marking criteria?
A description of what the marker is looking for, often as a table with a row for each thing they assess (argument, use of evidence, structure, referencing) and a column for each grade band. Schools call them a mark scheme or assessment objectives; universities often call them a rubric or grade descriptors.
Where do I find the marking criteria?
On the assignment page, in the module or course handbook, or on the exam board’s website for coursework. If you can’t find them, ask your teacher or tutor. They exist for every marked piece.
What’s the difference between a 2:1 and a First?
It varies by university, but a 2:1 (60 to 69) usually means a clear, well-supported answer, and a First (70 and above) adds your own critical judgement: weighing the evidence, not just reporting it. Read your own department’s descriptors for the exact words.
Should I write to the criteria?
Yes. They are the marker’s checklist. Writing to them isn’t gaming the system; it’s answering the question you were actually set.
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