Have you ever wondered what the academic marking process requires? What is it that is looked for while assessing your paper, dissertation, or even essay?

On which criterion do you know if you would be graded as a mid-B grade or a low C grade? Moreover, how would this knowledge help you elevate your grades in school?

The marking system used by the prestigious Oxford University uses four basic elements:

1. Content – (Essay Papers)
2. Structure – (Synthesis Of Ideas Within Paragraphs)
3. Language Use – (Grammatical Errors)
4. Presentation Skills – (Handwriting Quality On Essay Exams)

To get from these four elements to a final letter-grade scale, each element is given equal weightage. However, a lot of schools might have different scaling systems depending on these elements.

Let us take a brief look at the marking process, shall we?

Understanding The Basics | The Marking Scheme For Your Essays

Put all our differences regarding the best practices for essay writing, on the side. We all agree on certain things such as; particular elements an ideal essay must have. Say, for example, it has to be properly structured and well-researched within the perfect vocabulary for its respective audience. Thus, it might be true that these are the essential components that affect the marking.

Even though, no two markers would share similar interests when it narrows down to what catches their attention or other stylistic preferences. There will always be various factors such as structure, research skills, etc., that make up an effective essay. Let us look into these factors bit by bit in detail, shall we?

#1 – The Brief

Upon receiving the work, the first and foremost thing that a checker would check is what is required of the writer. This might include, how many words were required, what type of subject matter was focused on, etc.

All of these elements determine whether the writer has produced something worth of value or not. If you cannot grasp the concept of what is being asked of you while writing an essay, feel free to seek any online and cheap essay writing service.

#2 – Overall Structure Of Your Essay

While tailoring an essay, you should ensure that your writing possesses the perfect structure. By doing so, you will permit the reader to glide through what you are trying to say in each and every part of your work. Ensure that you cover enough detail while explaining each point. Moreover, your introductory sentence must always begin with a hook to grab the attention of the readers.

Next, up, your essay’s main body needs to be crystal-clear for optimal reading experience. This is the part where you can make your writing creative, interesting, and gripping. Lastly, in the conclusion, you must reflect on what you discussed earlier and bring all the ideas together.

#3 – Knowledge And Understanding

There is one thing that you must know: academic writing is entirely about the delicate balance of breadth and focus. So, no matter how tempting it might look to cram as much detail as you can into a single sentence, you must refrain from doing so. This is because it will only confuse the readers who are seeking a clear understanding from an academic point of view.

The ideal way to showcase knowledge and understanding in any subject matter is by involving with the topics in a plain manner, without any unnecessary details. Make sure you do not leave any gaps and include all of your points in a proper manner.

#4 – Argument And Critical Thinking

To get better grades, you need to possess the power of convincing your readers of your argument. This revolves around how you have used the information from arguments and sources to narrate a story. What a marker will look for here is sufficient evidence and coherence – they both must be strong.

Your argument must be seen strongly throughout your essay. In this way, the readers would not have any logic holes that might cause any issues. Ask around whether your argument is solid, supported by evidence, examined from all angles, well-reasoned, and much more.

#5 – Use Of Authentic And Credible Sources

A great essay must use relevant sources outside of the core texts that it is examining. As a writer, you must look for a vast variety to include respectable, fresh works. Moreover, do not turn a blind eye to the controversial ones to showcase your perfect analysis skills better than merely relying on journals and books alone.

For example, by incorporating other writer’s work, you will get to build credibility with your readers. This is because of the fact that referencing others showcases how knowledgeable you are about your topic. If you are confused as to which work you should incorporate in your work, you can seek any reputable university essay help. These experts are well acquainted with authentic work and will offer you some mind-blowing content related to your field of study. 

#6 – Style And Presentation

This element of your essay is solely related to how you have presented your content. It sheds light on how you can make your content much more engaging and interesting by opting for the right style. What you should be looking at is that – no matter if you have set the best plot for your essay, it would all go in vain if you presented it poorly. That is right!

You might have written everything perfectly – for instance, punctuation, grammar, spelling, etc., but if you ignore other stylistic factors i.e. your formatting or tone during writing, it will not appeal to the readers.

Lastly, you need to check your reference style (i.e. MLA, APA, etc.), quote placements, and data presentation styles (such as graph types) which will ensure that the readers have no issues while reading through what you jotted down.

Summing It All Up!

And that is it! Once you take care of all the elements we discussed above, there will be no stopping you from improving your grades. Not only your hard work will be put to light, but also your dedicated efforts will be noticed by your tutor. After completing your essays, make it your habit to always edit and proofread them multiple times until you feel fully satisfied with them. Bear in mind that performing a thorough review prior to submission will help you make sure that nothing significant falls through the cracks. These habits will not only make you a great essay writer and make your grades skyrocket, but they will also make you an apple of your tutors’ eyes. And who wouldn’t want to become that?