When it comes time to revise and edit the next-to-final draft of a critical essay, this checklist should serve as a helpful guide.
As a general rule, the best time to revise is not right after you've completed a draft (though sometimes this is unavoidable). Instead, wait a few hours--even a day or two, if possible--in order to gain some distance from your work.
One last bit of advice: read your work aloud when you revise and edit. You may hear problems in your writing that you can't see.
Critical Essay Checklist
- ____ Your essay consistently follows the guidelines for the assignment.
- ____ A comparison of your early drafts with the latest version of the essay shows careful and thoughtful revision.
- ____ The introductory paragraph identifies the author and text, offers a brief discussion of the dominant theme and/or purpose of the text, and includes a focused thesis sentence suggesting the direction that your analysis will take.
- ____ Throughout the essay, you conduct your analysis in the literary-present tense.
- ____ The essay isn't padded with lengthy quotations or needless summary or paraphrase.
- ____ The body paragraphs are introduced with focused topic sentences and developed through specific references to the text accompanied by thoughtful discussions of those references.
- ____ The conclusion effectively draws together the main point(s) of your essay without needless repetition.
- ____ Overall, your essay provides evidence of thoughtful reading (and re-reading) of the assigned text(s).
- ____ Overall, your analysis shows that you understand the relevant literary concepts and terms introduced in class.
- ____ Overall, your analysis leads to a deeper understanding of the meaning of the text and the ways in which that meaning is conveyed.
- ____ Overall, the ideas in your essay are original, insightful, and clearly supported.
- ____ Throughout the essay, you have provided smooth transitions from one sentence to the next and from one paragraph to the next.
- ____ Your sentences have been effectively revised for clarity, variety, conciseness, and emphasis.
- ____ Your word choice is consistently precise and appropriate, and no words are wasted.
- ____ The essay is free of major grammatical errors.
- ____ The essay is free of distracting errors in spelling and punctuation.
