Revise

Put your essay aside for a day (hopefully you have left enough time!) and look at it with fresh eyes. 

Go back to the question and the instructions. Have you answered the questions? Have you met all the requirements outlined in the instructions?

Structure

Read your essay aloud. Does the structure make sense? Are the ideas explained and developed logically? Have you used evidence and examples to convince your reader?

Editing and proofreading

Things to look out for:

1. Cluttered, wordy sentences
2. Sentence fragments
3. Run-on sentences
4. Comma splices
5. Subject-verb agreement
6. Parallel construction
7. Grammar and spelling errors