Category Checklist Item Check
Do I have an engaging opening sentence that grabs the reader's
Introduction/Hook ☐
attention?
Is my thesis statement clear and does it state my position on the
Thesis Statement ☐
topic?
Did I provide a brief overview of the main points I will discuss in
Preview ☐
the essay?
Body Paragraphs
Does each paragraph have a clear topic sentence that relates to
Topic Sentences ☐
my thesis?
Have I provided relevant and convincing evidence to support my
Evidence ☐
claims?
Do I explain how the evidence supports my thesis and main
Analysis ☐
points?
Did I use transitional words and phrases to connect my ideas and
Transitions ☐
paragraphs smoothly?
Conclusion
Restate Thesis Did I restate my thesis in a new way? ☐
Summarize Points Have I summarized the main points of my essay? ☐
Call to Action Do I have a strong closing statement or call to action? ☐
Grammar
Sentence Structure Have I varied my sentence structure to keep the reader engaged? ☐
Are my commas used correctly, especially in lists and before
Punctuation/Commas ☐
conjunctions?
Spell Check Have I used spell check to catch any misspelled words? ☐
Have I checked for common homophones (e.g., there/their/they're)
Homophones ☐
and ensured they are used correctly?
Capitalization Did I capitalize the first word of each sentence? ☐
Title Does my essay have a title that reflects its content? ☐
Are my paragraphs indented or formatted according to the
Paragraphs ☐
required style guide?
Have I used the correct font and spacing as specified by my
Font and Spacing assignment guidelines? 12 point font, double-spaced, Times New ☐
Roman
