Essay marking can be one of the
most exciting, challenging and rewarding tasks that teachers and professors
experience. Essay marking is an extremely important aspect of the educational
process, as it is instrumental in the student evaluation process.
There are
many unique and different ways of marking essays; some models prove more
effective. Teachers and professors are always encouraged to seek the best
practice in essay marking.
The web site readwritethink.org
offers an “Essay rubric” for marking essays.
Its five
key components are “focus and
details”, “organization”, “voice”, “word choice”, “sentence structure, grammar,
mechanics and spelling”. This particular essay rubric functions with a scale of
4 to 1, the highest proficiency level as the highest number. Note that it
allows room for individual comments, suggestions or questions with suggested guidelines.
Because there are many
different models for essay marking, it is important that teachers, professors
and students become familiar with the particular rubric or model used for
marking by their own academic setting.
For students, this offers an example of
essay writing skills and the marking scheme. It allows an opportunity for
self-assessment of essays and increases the possibility of potential
improvement before essay submission.
Consistency in marking essays
is vital for academic evaluation and comparative purposes, but at the same
time, some degree of flexibility is essential in the practice of
marking essays. New thought and ideas should be encouraged rather than stifled,
even when knowledge of course content is more important.
It is not always easy for
teachers or professors to look past spelling errors or grammatical concerns
when marking essays, but there are times when the focus, organization and voice
in an essay exceeds other issues related to writing properly. There are also times
when it is advisable to recommend a tutor or a writing program for students who
encounter difficulty with writing essays.
Time is a major concern for
teachers and professors who are marking essays. Students may have the
opportunity to read or mark their peer’s essays, although the final
responsibility belongs to the teacher or professor. Mentors, tutors and
assistant teachers or professors prove helpful when it comes to marking large
numbers of student essays.
One essay that meets the
criterion for an essay may set an example for comparative purposes, which saves
valuable marking time.
As long as there are students, teachers and professors,
there will be essays that need consistent, accurate marking which requires
those involved to be aware of the best principles and practices in marking
essays.
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