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READ AT YOUR OWN PACE

01After receiving a marked essay, Daniel immediately looked for his grade. He glanced at the comments, put the paper away and began the next assignment. Although his teacher had carefully explained several weaknesses, Daniel repeated most of them a week later.

02The problem was not a lack of feedback but the absence of a way to use it. Comments such as ‘develop your argument’ can be accurate without telling a learner what to do next. Daniel needed to connect the general advice to a specific decision in his own writing.

03For the following assignment, his teacher asked him to choose one paragraph and identify its main claim. He then underlined the evidence and wrote a sentence explaining how that evidence supported the claim. When he found a gap, he revised the paragraph before working on anything else.

04This narrower task did not solve every problem. Some sentences remained awkward, and his introduction was still too broad. However, it gave Daniel a process he could repeat. Instead of trying to fix everything at once, he could make one meaningful improvement and check whether it worked.

05Feedback becomes useful when the learner acts on it. That does not mean every comment must include a complete solution. Sometimes a well-chosen question is enough, provided the learner has the knowledge and opportunity to respond.

Skills to work on in this practice
  • Separate a claim from supporting evidence
  • Interpret the writer’s purpose and viewpoint
  • Explain why a tempting alternative is wrong

A few useful words.

Open a word to explore its meaning.

claim

A statement or position that needs support.

evidence

Information used to support a claim.

revise

Change a piece of work to improve it.

Questions 1–5 build confidence; 6–10 check transfer and detail. Use Practice for feedback after each answer, or Test yourself to check at the end.

Practise, then understand your answers

10 questions · 10 XP per correct answer · explanations included

Answer every question to see your score.0 / 10 answered
Question 1

What happened after Daniel’s first essay?

  1. He corrected every weakness.
  2. He repeated many weaknesses.
  3. His teacher gave no comments.
Answer & explanation

He repeated many weaknesses.. Paragraph 1 says he repeated most weaknesses despite receiving detailed feedback.

Question 2

Why can “develop your argument” be insufficient?

  1. It may not identify a concrete next action.
  2. It is always incorrect.
  3. It tells the learner too much.
Answer & explanation

It may not identify a concrete next action.. Paragraph 2 distinguishes accurate general advice from an actionable decision.

Question 3

What did Daniel do after underlining evidence?

  1. Changed his grade
  2. Explained how it supported the claim
  3. Deleted his introduction
Answer & explanation

Explained how it supported the claim. Paragraph 3 describes adding the connection between evidence and claim.

Question 4

What is the purpose of mentioning remaining problems?

  1. To show the task was useless
  2. To acknowledge the improvement was limited
  3. To blame the teacher
Answer & explanation

To acknowledge the improvement was limited. Paragraph 4 concedes limits while explaining the value of a repeatable process.

Question 5

Which statement would the writer most likely support?

  1. Feedback must solve every issue.
  2. A useful question can sometimes guide improvement.
  3. Grades matter more than revision.
Answer & explanation

A useful question can sometimes guide improvement.. The final paragraph explicitly allows well-chosen questions rather than complete solutions.

Question 6

What did Daniel initially pay most attention to?

  1. The sources used in every paragraph.
  2. His grade.
  3. A detailed revision plan.
Answer & explanation

His grade.. Paragraph 1 says he immediately looked for the grade and only glanced at the comments.

Question 7

What does narrower refer to in paragraph 4?

  1. Focusing on one paragraph and its evidence.
  2. Writing in a smaller physical space.
  3. Removing every supporting detail.
Answer & explanation

Focusing on one paragraph and its evidence.. Paragraph 3 limits the task to one paragraph, its claim, its evidence and their connection.

Question 8

Which issue remained after the focused task?

  1. He had received no feedback.
  2. He had stopped using any evidence.
  3. His introduction was still too broad.
Answer & explanation

His introduction was still too broad.. Paragraph 4 names the broad introduction and awkward sentences as remaining problems.

Question 9

Why is a repeatable process valuable in the writer’s argument?

  1. It makes a teacher’s comments unnecessary.
  2. It gives Daniel a way to improve another part of his writing.
  3. It guarantees every future essay will be perfect.
Answer & explanation

It gives Daniel a way to improve another part of his writing.. Paragraph 4 values a process Daniel can use again while explicitly acknowledging limits.

Question 10

Under what condition can a question be useful feedback?

  1. The learner has the knowledge and opportunity to respond.
  2. The learner receives a higher grade immediately.
  3. The question gives every answer in full.
Answer & explanation

The learner has the knowledge and opportunity to respond.. The final sentence states the knowledge-and-opportunity condition; it does not require a complete solution.

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