Canadian and World Studies Term Essay – Peer Editing Checklist
Essay Author: _______________________________ Editors Name: __________________________________
Use the following “Look-Fors” when editing one of your peers’ essays. Your feedback should be thorough
and honest when marking, and your criticism should be constructive in order to help your fellow student.
Check off either YES/NO on the list if you’ve found each of the criteria and be sure to provide suggestions
for improvement both on this evaluation and on their actual essay (use the back of the page for additional
comments). Remember to offer 2 strengths and 2 areas that need improvement. Provide a
letter/percentage grade in the space provided at the bottom that truly reflects your evaluation of the
essay.
Criteria
1. Can you identify the main idea or thesis in this essay?
2. If so, write the thesis (word for word) here:
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Does the thesis contain the author’s topic and their opinion or stand on this subject?
Does the introduction have an interesting hook?
Does the introduction give an outline of what the author is going to talk about?
Is the essay written in third person narrative (NO Personal Pronouns ie. I, Me, We, Our, etc)?
Is the essay consistently written in past tense?
Is the writing clear and understandable?
Are there parts of the essay that are unclear? If so, underline them and put a question mark
next to the passage.
Does the essay have a clearly organized middle section with ideas separated into
paragraphs?
Does each paragraph begin with a topic sentence?
Does each paragraph end with a transition sentence, smoothly connecting the ideas of the
previous paragraph to the next?
Does the essay contain persuasive language and a strong vocabulary?
Does the essay contain at least a minimum of 6 quotations/in-text references to support the
claims made?
Is context given for each of these quotations? (This creates clarity)
Are the in-text citations/references cited correctly (APA format)?
Does the essay have a concluding paragraph?
Does the conclusion restate the main points of the essay in a new way and give a sense of
completion to the essay?
Is there a Works Cited page provided at end of the essay on a separate page with all sources
listed in alphabetical order and in proper APA format?
Is there a Title Page attached to the front of the essay, using proper APA format. (Only Title
of Essay, Student Name, School Name – all double spaced and centered in middle of
page)?
Are there Page numbers evident on the top right corner of every page (shortened title +
page #)?
Is there a Long title at the beginning of essay?
Is the essay word processed (double-spaced, 12-14 size font, Arial or Times New Roman
font)?
Does the essay meet the required length? (Grade 10 = 4-6 pages, Grade 11 = 6-8 pages,
Grade 12 = 8-10 pages of text).
Based on your evaluation, please provide a Letter/Percentage (%) Grade in the box
provided. Your mark should be honest and should reflect the quality of work
evaluated.
YES NO