I got 85 but my teacher says great as always!

[iceless0324]

Hi everyone,

I received 85 on an English essay 3 times. Every single office hour with my Eng teacher, he told me it was well-written. I’m a bit puzzled about where I might have fallen short and would love some advice on approaching my teacher for feedback. I aim to understand the fundamental reasons behind my score.

Any tips on specific questions to ask my teacher or how to frame my request would be really helpful!

[tsbna44]

Mr Teacher, I’ve put forth my best work and you seem please. But I lost 15 points. Can you explain why ?

Mr Teacher - what would a 100 essay look like? Where is my shortfall ?

[Catcherinthetoast]

I would make sure you use complete sentences and avoid typos. It is often the little things that matter when trying to communicate.

[NiceUnparticularMan]

When I taught writing, I never had a problem with a student coming to me and asking how they could improve their writing!

I think the key is to try to avoid making it sound like you are disputing your grades, or indeed that the grade is all that matters to you. The fundamental issue should be getting better as a writer, which has potential lifelong benefits.

But obviously your grade is supposed to represent an evaluation of your current relative strengths and weaknesses as a writer. So, an imperfect grade represents room for improving as a writer, and I never had a problem with students asking for clarity on what I thought they could improve.

[Lindagaf]

You do realize that 85 is still an excellent grade? Maybe your teacher is a hard grader and rarely gives anything over 90.

I will generalize here, for the benefit of anyone else reading. As a person who sees student writing every day, I can tell you some major issues with high school writing. Remember, your teacher knows you are a teen, but also wants to at least see some effort. These observations are not intended to imply that all students should use complicated writing.

1. Using a lot of wasteful filler words. Basic example: I started to get ready for work… I got ready for work. I really wanted to do things like everyone else was doing… I wanted to do what everyone else did.
2. Little attempt made to punctuate or use correct grammar, and rudimentary sentence structure. Or, lots of run on sentences.
3. No effort to use any descriptive language or anything but very basic and rudimentary words.
4. Failure to accurately convey ideas. I feel that a lot of students don’t consider the REASON why they are asked to produce writing. It’s because it shows your thought process. Always ask yourself, “Why am I writing this? Have I addressed the assignment?”

Also, if you are using AI to write, your teacher might find it obvious. Skip the AI.

[2plustrio]

The goal should be growth, not perfection (100).

I would ask if there is a rubric to follow so that you can improve your writing and gain points.

[Knowsstuff]

Yes. This.

Either in 9th or 10th grade my daughters English teacher told the class no one’s getting an A since it would be impossible they would be able to write to that level. Lol. Or something like that. She was tough but these kids became great writers. Most got 5s on their Aps. She was really critical but evidently knew what she was doing and one of my daughter’s favorite teachers. Sometimes it’s the process.