Checking your own essay

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 5

Checking your own Essay

With some help

Lay-Out

This point is easy to get, but also easy to miss. 

Structure

Does your text have all the elements listed to the side?

Does your text have clear paragraphs?

Inhoud

Does your text contain all the elements necessary for an essay?

Are they communicated clearly?

Inhoud

How easy and nice is it to read your review? Does it keep the reader's attention?

Are you using linking words and other techniques to connect ideas throughout your work?

Is your language varied enough and of the appropriate register?

Formal Language

Is your language formal enough?

An essay uses formal language, so more informal expressions and references to yourself and your opinion are allowed. 

However, you should beware that the text does not get too informal. 

Formal Language

Highlight and improve the following words if you find them in your essay:

Gonna 

Wanna

Gotta

Dunno

Kinda 

u / U

Signal & Linking Words

Highlight or underline all the different signal/linking words you have used?

Is there enough variation or have you barely used them?

Taalgebruik

Are you spelling words correctly (especially the basic ones)?

Are you using the grammar correctly?

Are you showing you can use a great variety of grammar and sentence structures?

Are you taking risks or playing it safe?

Wide enough range of relevant vocabulary?

Levels of English

A1, A2, 

Your Level

You should be at B2/C1 levels of English when it comes to writing. 

In the next slides are a couple of articles/reviews from various levels. 

Try to see what level each work is and compare it to your own in terms of language. 

Questions

What level were these texts?

How would you rank them in terms of grades?

What level was this text?

What grade would you have given this?

B2 text

 Grade: 6,0

The register is suitably neutral for the most part, although the use of a colloquial yeah is not consistent with the rest of the essay. The essay is written for the most part in an objective way, but there is use of personal, subjective examples (Once I saw the river; I can’t make a sigh), which lessen the impact of the bigger problems.

There is a range of everyday vocabulary used appropriately, and although there are errors, they do not impede communication (atmospeer; bycicle; sigh).

There is a range of simple and some more complex grammatical forms: past and present verb forms are used with a good degree of control.

What level was this text?

What grade would you have given this?

C1 text

 Grade: 6,5

There is a range of vocabulary used appropriately, but there is some awkwardness of expression at times, either due to word choice or word order.

Some grammatical forms are used with control, such as present tenses and modals, but there are errors when more complex forms or expressions are attempted.

The essay is written using the conventions of the communicative task effectively. The essay has a neutral tone and uses appropriate phrases to introduce and connect ideas through the text (On theone hand; On the other hand; In my opinion). However, there are a couple of slips in the register (I guess they’ll figure out; pretty exhausting). 

What level was this text?

What grade would you have given this?

B2 text

 Grade: 9,5

Straightforward and complex ideas are communicated (It’s difficult to achieve this because petrol companies will fight against these actions).

The paragraphs are introduced in a variety of ways, using grammatical structures rather than obvious linkers (If we surf the web; If a country decided; Investing on; We also have to; But what about). 

There is a wide range of vocabulary, including less common lexis used appropriately (environmental catastrophes; highly polluted; exotic food; highly toxic substances; minimizing their poisoning effects; change their policy).

There is a range of simple and complex grammatical forms used with a good degree of control and flexibility to convey certain ideas succinctly.

There are minimal errors which do not impede communication.

What level was this text?

What grade would you have given this?

C1 text

 Grade: 8,5

There is a mix of straightforward and complex ideas running through the paragraphs.

The text is well organised and coherent, and the candidate makes good use of a variety of cohesive devices to show connections between ideas across sentences and paragraphs, including referencing, punctuation and conjunctions.

More complex organisational patterns are used to generally good effect, particularly when presenting positive and negative aspects of one topic.

There is a range of vocabulary, including less common lexis which is used effectively.

There is a range of simple and more complex grammatical forms which are used with control and flexibility. There are occasional errors but these do not impede communication and are sometimes due to ambition or are slips.

Improving

Are there parts you can improve?

Add more difficult words or variation, different grammar or linking words?