Expert tips from an old teaching assistant and part-time professor on writing an ‘A’ paper

In your year that is first of or college, you could begin to feel that “A” papers are a bit like unicorns. Do they even exist? I remember feeling so angry and frustrated during first year; I had been an student that is“A through high school but suddenly, I couldn’t score higher than a B+ on some of my written work. What had changed? How could I crack the code?

Now, after a PhD in English and several years of experience grading undergraduate and college papers, I’m here to share with you all of the plain things i wish I knew whenever I was getting started.

First, you should know that A’s are attainable—just rare. Some departments have recommended (as well as set-in-stone) grade averages: this means the mark that is average a certain course has got to be, for example, a 70. Even without those institutional guidelines or restrictions, A-level grades are supposed to be reserved for a minority that is small of that go far beyond with regards to of content and execution. In a course of 50, the average professor or teaching assistant will probably award 5 A-range grades, with almost all of those being A minuses and very few (or perhaps zero) As or A-pluses.

So, that if you follow these steps, your marks will materially improve while I can’t promise that these tips will guarantee an A grade, I can assure you.

Stick to the instructions

This sounds dumb, but you will be surprised buy high school essays online at how students that are many poorly (or even fail) since they simply do not follow directions. This really is even more crucial at the college level, where professors often grade assignments in accordance with rubrics that are strict. If the paper needs to be cited in a specific style, use that style; if it entails that you analyze two texts, don’t analyze only 1. You shall never do well on an assignment in the event that paper you submit does not adhere to the principles.

Attend class

Again, sounds basic, right? But this might make a difference that is huge your grades. First, in the event that you attend class and are usually an active participant, you’ll likely have a more in-depth understanding for the course material, that will be reflected into the quality of your work. Second, if the professor sees that you will be serious about the program, they will certainly likely become more inclined to be generous when marking your paper. Students love to gripe about marks being subjective; this will be only true to a certain extent. Most TAs and professors have relatively consistent standards of what makes a C, B, or A paper. However, the essential difference between a B and a B+ can frequently be subjective: if the professor thinks about you as a committed, hard-working student, that may push your grade up a few points.

Head to office hours

Don’t be shy! Your professor or TA generally is being paid that will help you of these full hours, so make use of your resources. Stop by during office hours to inquire of questions regarding course materials and assignments, and also to obtain feedback in your outline or early drafts. Be polite and come prepared. Again, this will improve the quality of your work and help you to definitely cultivate a relationship which could lead to slightly more generous grades.

Narrow your focus

One of the greatest mistakes that students make on papers, especially when these are generally getting started, is they simply try to do in excess. Don’t make an effort to write a paper which will explain or solve a huge problem. You likely can’t develop a strong, convincing argument about an enormous issue within a four-to-six page limit. By narrowing your focus to a manageable scope, you’ll be much more prone to produce an paper that is strong.

Avoid generalizations

A-level papers rarely start off with “since the beginning of time….”Believe it or otherwise not, 80 per cent of undergraduate or college papers begin in this manner. I don’t know why. These opening sentences are the bane of each and every professor’s existence. “Since the beginning of time, both women and men have struggled to obtain along.” Well, maybe. But can you obviously have the research to back up this massive, general statement? Stay glued to specific, provable claims.

Proofread your work

Always, always leave some right time and energy to proofread your projects and check your formatting. Virtually every grader shall dock marks if your tasks are difficult to understand or if perhaps it doesn’t follow your department’s standards. Again, this is often even stricter in college. I graded according to departmental rubrics that deducted 1 point per grammar error, up to 15 per cent, and 1 point per formatting error, up to 15 per cent when I taught college writing. Some students lost the full 30 per cent of their grade in this manner! Don’t be that student. Proofread, show your projects to someone during the Centre that is writing what you need to do in order to clean things up. This is certainlyn’t just a school that is fussy: into the professional world, individuals will judge your writing predicated on things like grammar and magnificence.