Introduction

• Underline the thesis

• Does it have all of the four parts (topic, argument, subtopics, and what's the point)? Please list all four.

• What is the writer's problem and solution (as explained in the thesis?

• What is the writer's overall argument?

• Is the introduction the right length for the paper?

• Is there a title and does it fit the paper?

• Does the writer explicitly relate her or his problem to personal experience as well as a broader argument?

Body Paragraphs

• How many body paragraphs are there?

• Underline each of the topic and concluding sentences.

• What subtopic from the thesis do each of the body paragraphs correspond to?

• Does each body paragraph have a topic and concluding sentences relate directly back to the subtopics that were expressed in the thesis?

• Do the body paragraphs deviate from the plan laid out by the thesis either through the addition of other subtopics or the subtraction of existing subtopics?

• Where does the writer use process analysis? Is cause and effect used in that process analysis?

• Which body paragraphs discuss the problem? Which the solution?

• Does the writer make a convincing case for why the problem is a problem? Why the solution is a solution?

Conclusion

• Is there a conclusion paragraph?

• Does it restate the thesis with a difference in the first sentence?

• Does the last sentence take the topic out a broader level?

• Is the conclusion the right length?

In General

• Is the paper totally in the right format?

• Is the paper the right length (some on the third page)?

• Does the paper make a convincing argument?

• Are there some parts of the paper that seem unnecessary?

• Are there some things that the paper ought to have addressed?

• Does the writer follow my essay advice?