Redrafting, checking
your work and avoiding basic errors in your analysis
Essay writing is not a linear
process. It is highly unlikely that you start at the beginning and work your
way through to the end. It is more probable that you will have new ideas as
you are re-reading and writing about the text, and will have to go back and
revise your essay plan, structure or argument accordingly. The process of
redrafting you work will improve its quality, so you will need to leave yourself
enough time to do this. When reading through your work, both during the writing
process and after the essay has been finished (but before its is handed in),
you should check that you’re not making any basic errors in your analysis
of the texts which will weaken your essay and reduce your final mark. These
are some questions to ask yourself when going over your essay:
Have I remembered
the details of the text(s) correctly?
Have I been
consistent in my interpretation of the text, not contradicting myself?
Are the points
that I’m making in the essay relevant to the question that I’m answering?
