Essay Checklist

Essay Structure and Form (Application)

Introduction: Proper Lead, POD, Thesis

Lead is general and guides reader toward topic?

Specific 3 point plan of development?
Well-worded argument (thesis), specific to chosen topic?
No specific evidence in introduction?

Body paragraphs:
Topic sentence announces topic of paragraph?
Explanation and proof includes at least one quotation in the essay?
Summary sentence links proof to argument (thesis)
Conclusion:
Opens by creatively restating argument?
Briefly summarizing 3 main proofs?
Closes with a thought provoking final summation?

Quality of Evidence, Insight, and Analysis

(Knowledge and Thinking)
Evidence is accurate, specific, sufficiently detailed?
Analysis/Commentary is insightful and effectively linked to evidence
cited and
overall thesis?

Quality of Articulation (Communication)

Spelling is accurate, correctly transcribed proper nouns (names)?
Correct sentence structure, grammar, punctuation,
homophone/homonym
usage?
No personal pronouns (I, me, my, we, us)?

Miscellaneous Application Items:

Colon to introduce quotations?
Double spaces between paragraphs, in and out of quotations?
Book title and page # in brackets after quotation?

 Original title, full name, course, Instructors name, date on cover

page?
Word count included on essays first page, top right hand
corner?