Author:                                                                                                                                 Reviewer:

Workshop Sheet (download Word file here)

1.   What is the thesis statement?

2.   Comment on the essay’s thesis and the introductory paragraph.  Is it clear? logical? appropriate for the length and type of essay? well-presented? interesting? etc.

3.   List the illustrations, examples, points used to support the argument.  Comment on them.  Are they appropriate? convincing?  How so?

      a.              

      b.              

      c.              

      d.              

      e.              

      f.               

4.   What is the structural organization of the essay?

5.   What is the main point of the paragraphs in the body of the essay? Are they well-argued and supported?

      1^st paragraph                    

      2^nd paragraph                    

      3^rd paragraph                    

      4^th paragraph                    

      5^th paragraph                    

      6^th paragraph                    

6.   Comment on the conclusion.  Does it logically follow the arguments above?  Is it too abrupt?  Is it a mere repetition of previous paragraphs?

7.   What do you think of the essay’s title?  Is it descriptive enough or too vague?  Is it interesting? too long? helpful in getting a sense of what the essay is about? appropriate for the content of the essay?

8.   Comment on the overall style and writing.  What is especially good/bad about the writing?  Does the essay fit tightly together or is it rambling?  What grammatical problems detract from the readability and credibility of the essay?  What organizational problems weaken the flow of the essay?  How is the diction? clear and evocative? verbose? vague?

7.   What is the use of this essay?  What did you learn from it?