DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY

PEER EDITING REVIEW

1. Does the essay meet the following formatting requirements?

 Title typed in the center of the first line
 Indented paragraphs
 Margins respected
 Double spaced

o (6 pts) Yes, perfect. o (2 pts) Mostly not.

o (4 pts) Almost perfect. o (1 pts) Only one of these.
o (3 pts) Some but not all. o (0 pts) No, no formatting.

2. Remember that a good essay must have an introduction paragraph and conclusion
paragraph. A descriptive essay must have at least 3 body paragraphs. It can have more than
3 but not fewer.

o (6 pts) Yes, it has 5 paragraphs total with 3 or more body paragraphs.

o (3 pts) It has 4 paragraphs total.
o (2 pts) It has only 3 paragraphs total.
o (0 pts) It has 2 or fewer paragraphs.

3. Remember, the essay should have a short introduction with the thesis statement at the
end. The thesis should mention the topic, and it should indicate a positive/negative (or
both) description.

o (10 pts) Yes, the thesis mentions the topic, indicates a positive/negative (or both)
description, and is at the end of a short, effective introduction.
o (8 pts) There is an effective introduction and the thesis is at the end of the
introduction, but it doesn’t indicate a positive/negative (or both) description.
o (5 pts) There is a thesis, but the introduction is not effective, or the thesis is not at
the end of the introduction.
o (0 pts) There is no thesis statement.

4. Give the writer of the essay some feedback on the introduction and thesis. What did he/she
do well? What would you recommend to make it better?
5. Remember that body paragraphs should start with a topic sentence giving one
aspect/area/field etc. to be discussed in the paragraph.
o (10 pts) Yes, all of the body paragraphs start with effective topic sentences.
o (5 pts) Some of the body paragraphs start with effective topic sentences but not all
of them.
o (0 pts) The body paragraphs don’t start with effective topic sentences.

6. Remember that body paragraphs should have 3 supporting ideas and 1-3 details or
examples for each supporting idea. Also, the details and examples should be specific.

o (10 pts) Yes, all of the body paragraphs have at least 3 supporting ideas with 1-3
details or examples, and most of the details are specific.
o (5 pts) There are some supporting ideas and some details and examples, but they
are not specific.
o (2 pts) There are only supporting ideas but not details or examples.
o (0 pts) There is no clear structure or use of supporting ideas or details.

7. Give the writer some feedback on his/her body paragraphs. What did the writer do well?
What improvements could be made? Be specific and indicate which body paragraph you’re
talking about, i.e. body paragraph 1, 2, or 3 – supporting sentence 1,2, or 3.

8. Remember, there should be transition words to start some body paragraphs and also on
supporting sentences in each body paragraph.

o (3 pts) Yes, there are at least 3 transitions per body paragraph in the essay.
o (1 pts) There are only 1 or 2 transitions.
o (0 pts) There are no transitions.

9. Remember that all of the topic sentences should support the thesis statement. All of the
sentences in the body paragraphs should support the topic sentences and thesis statement.
If there is a sentence that is off topic, the essay does not have unity.

o (2 pts) Yes, the essay has o (0 pts) No, the essay doesn’t have
unity. unity.
10. Remember that compound sentences need commas and/or semicolons. Transitions, series,
and interrupting phrases also need commas.

o (3 pts) Yes, the essay has mostly good punctuation.

o (1 pts) There are only a few punctuation mistakes.
o (0 pts) There are many punctuation mistakes.