No-one does their best work on a first go. When you've written your assignment draft, leave it for a couple of days, then come back and read it with an outsider's eyes.
Useful hints include reading it aloud (a wonderful way to pick up bad writing), working from paper rather than screen, and sliding a ruler/piece of cardboard down the page so you only see one line at a time.
HOW TO EDIT
Ask questions about how well it works. Recognise what you've done well (and any ways to take further advantage of it), and anything that doesn't work as well as you'd hoped (and any ways to improve it).
Start with questions about the whole work. Then, when you're happy with that, move on to questions about the parts of the work (sections, paragraphs or short answers). Finally, when you're happy with that, move on to the mechanics.
LOOK AT THE WHOLE WORK
| Re-read the instructions: Does it answer the question? |
| Does it answer the whole question? |
| Re-read the rubric: Does it satisfy each criterion's HD descriptor? (use the HD descriptor no matter what mark you're aiming for/expect) |
| Have you organised it into the right structure? |
| Is it close enough to the word limit? (most courses allow 10% over or under the limit, but check your Course Outline) |
LOOK AT THE WORK'S PARTS
(that is, the sections, paragraphs or individual answers)
| Does each one hold together logically? Look especially closely at headings (if you use them) and topic sentences. |
| Does the reader see them progress as they go along? |
| Is the writing clear and exact? Does the reader get any chances to misunderstand you? |
| Have you paraphrased properly? (usually works better than quoting - use the feedback from Turnitin) |
| Have you referenced everywhere it's needed? |
LOOK AT THE MECHANICS
| Is the grammar and spelling OK? |
| Does it all use the right format and font? |
| Is the reference list right? (complete, using the system required by the course, and following the pattern of capital letters/italics/order/etc.) |
| Have you followed the requirements regarding a cover sheet, header/footer, format, etc.? |
You can also get feedback from many other sources - friends, Learning Support, Studiosity, Turnitin, ChatGPT, and others.
These can be useful, noticing things you missed and reading it from angles you hadn't thought about. But remember: this is your work, and so your responsibility. When you get feedback from any of these sources, always think about it and make your own judgement about how to use (or ignore) it.
The final work must be your argument in your voice.