Year 3 · Unit 10 · Lesson 5 of 5
Self-Marking and Timed Practice: Mark Like an Examiner
"I think my essay was good."
How would you know? What exactly would you check?
The same four things the examiner checks: content, organisation, expression and accuracy. Students who can mark their own work improve fastest, because they know exactly what to fix next time.
Master the essentials
Content
Excellent: fully relevant; ideas developed with detail and examples.
Developing: thin, repetitive or partly off the topic.
Organisation
Excellent: the conventions of the form; clear paragraphs in a logical order; smooth linking.
Developing: one block of text, or ideas in random order.
Expression
Excellent: precise vocabulary; varied sentences; the right register.
Developing: repeated, vague words; every sentence starts the same way.
Accuracy
Excellent: few or no errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation.
Developing: frequent errors that make the writing hard to follow.
How to self-mark
Read your work once for each criterion. Underline errors. Give each criterion a level.
Then write one specific target for next time.
Timing (45 minutes)
5 minutes to plan · 35 to write · 5 to check.
Never skip the check.
Choosing a question
Pick the one you have most to say about.
Not the one that looks shortest.
Length
Aim for the length asked.
Too short loses content marks; too long invites errors.
See it done
1. A student self-marks: "Content good, organisation good, expression developing, accuracy good." What is a useful target?
Something specific she can act on: "Replace 'nice', 'good' and 'very' with precise words, and start no more than two sentences in a row with 'I'."
2. Which question should you choose: (1) a story about a day that went wrong, or (2) an essay on whether school uniforms should be abolished?
Whichever you can plan four or five strong points for in two minutes. Jot quick notes for both; pick the one with more.
Common mistake: Self-marking with "good" or "bad". A level for each criterion plus one specific target is what actually improves the next essay.
10 questions with instant feedback
Choose the best answer.
1.A composition is accurate but has no paragraphs. Which criterion suffers most?
Not quite. Paragraphing is part of organisation. Answer: B. organisation.
Correct. Paragraphing is part of organisation.
Not quite. Paragraphing is part of organisation. Answer: B. organisation.
Not quite. Paragraphing is part of organisation. Answer: B. organisation.
2.An essay is lively and well organised but answers a different question. Which criterion suffers most?
Correct. Content marks depend on answering the task.
Not quite. Content marks depend on answering the task. Answer: A. content (relevance).
Not quite. Content marks depend on answering the task. Answer: A. content (relevance).
Not quite. Content marks depend on answering the task. Answer: A. content (relevance).
3."We was going too the market and we buyed some fruits." Which criterion suffers most?
Not quite. It has errors of concord, spelling and verb form. Answer: C. accuracy.
Not quite. It has errors of concord, spelling and verb form. Answer: C. accuracy.
Correct. It has errors of concord, spelling and verb form.
Not quite. It has errors of concord, spelling and verb form. Answer: C. accuracy.
4."The thing was nice. It was good. It was very nice." Which criterion suffers most?
Not quite. The words are correct but vague and repeated. Answer: D. expression.
Not quite. The words are correct but vague and repeated. Answer: D. expression.
Not quite. The words are correct but vague and repeated. Answer: D. expression.
Correct. The words are correct but vague and repeated.
5.In a 45-minute task, how long should you keep for checking?
Not quite. Five minutes catches most slips. Answer: B. about 5 minutes.
Correct. Five minutes catches most slips.
Not quite. Five minutes catches most slips. Answer: B. about 5 minutes.
Not quite. Five minutes catches most slips. Answer: B. about 5 minutes.
6.When choosing between two questions, you should pick:
Not quite. Ideas are what you will need for 35 minutes. Answer: C. the one you have most ideas for.
Not quite. Ideas are what you will need for 35 minutes. Answer: C. the one you have most ideas for.
Correct. Ideas are what you will need for 35 minutes.
Not quite. Ideas are what you will need for 35 minutes. Answer: C. the one you have most ideas for.
7.When self-marking, the best first step is to:
Not quite. Relevance comes first; a brilliant answer to the wrong question scores little. Answer: D. read the task again and check your writing answers it.
Not quite. Relevance comes first; a brilliant answer to the wrong question scores little. Answer: D. read the task again and check your writing answers it.
Not quite. Relevance comes first; a brilliant answer to the wrong question scores little. Answer: D. read the task again and check your writing answers it.
Correct. Relevance comes first; a brilliant answer to the wrong question scores little.
8.Which is a useful self-marking target?
Not quite. It is specific and can be acted on. Answer: B. "Use paragraphs: one main idea each, starting with a linking word.".
Correct. It is specific and can be acted on.
Not quite. It is specific and can be acted on. Answer: B. "Use paragraphs: one main idea each, starting with a linking word.".
Not quite. It is specific and can be acted on. Answer: B. "Use paragraphs: one main idea each, starting with a linking word.".
9.Writing far less than the length asked mainly loses marks for:
Correct. Short answers rarely develop their ideas.
Not quite. Short answers rarely develop their ideas. Answer: A. content, because ideas are not developed.
Not quite. Short answers rarely develop their ideas. Answer: A. content, because ideas are not developed.
Not quite. Short answers rarely develop their ideas. Answer: A. content, because ideas are not developed.
10.Which is a sign of excellent expression?
Not quite. That is what the expression criterion rewards. Answer: C. precise vocabulary and varied sentences in the right register.
Not quite. That is what the expression criterion rewards. Answer: C. precise vocabulary and varied sentences in the right register.
Correct. That is what the expression criterion rewards.
Not quite. That is what the expression criterion rewards. Answer: C. precise vocabulary and varied sentences in the right register.
Timed task: write and self-mark
Set a timer for 45 minutes. Choose one task and write about 300 words: 5 minutes planning, 35 writing, 5 checking. Then mark yourself with the checklist below.
1. Narrative: Write a story that ends with "...and from that day on, I always checked twice."
2. Argument: "Mobile phones should be banned in schools." Write an essay for or against.
3. Formal letter: Write to the head of your local council about a problem in your area, and suggest a solution.
Your composition:
Self-marking checklist. Give each criterion a level: Excellent, Good or Developing.
Content: Does every paragraph answer the task? Is each idea developed with detail or an example?
Organisation: Have you used the conventions of the form (a story's ending; an essay's introduction and conclusion; a letter's addresses and sign-off)? One idea per paragraph? Linking words?
Expression: Have you replaced weak words? Varied your sentence openings and lengths? Kept the right register?
Accuracy: Check the 20 errors from Lessons 1 and 2, especially concord, tense, their/there/they're, its/it's and apostrophes.
Target: Write one specific thing to improve next time.
Model plan for Task 2 (against): Introduction: phones are part of modern life; banning them misses the chance to teach responsible use. · Point 1: phones help with research and learning apps. · Point 2: safety: parents can reach children. · Point 3 (counter-argument): distraction can be managed with clear rules, such as phones off in lessons. · Conclusion: teach responsible use instead of a ban.
Next: the Lesson 5 exit quiz, then the unit test. 15 questions and a proofreading task, about 25 minutes.