I have been working on writing and drafting skills with a group of learners and we came up with a checklist to use when they are planning and editing their written texts. So, I thought I should share. Of course, you can add many more considerations but then the task would become more like perfecting poetry ( and I’ve tried that before). I hope this list is useful.
| Titles, headings, subject line | Does the title convey the key message (the big idea)? |
| Logical order of ideas | Are the ideas organised in a way that makes sense to the readers? |
| Paragraphs | Are the paragraphs a change in focus?Do they have a topic sentence? Is there a link to the next paragraph? |
| Sentences | Have you used the simplest form – subject + verb + object?Do the sentences contain one idea?Are they short and to the point or do they contain three or more clauses? |
| Important ideas at the beginning | Is the important information loaded at the beginning of the sentence? |
| Word choice | Are the words short and commonly used? |
| Verbs | Are you using verbs to perform complex grammar or to convey meaning? |
| Active v passive | Is the sentence active? Do we know who and to whom? |
| Redundancy | Have you explained something twice when once will do? Example: “the process is streamlined and efficient.” |
| Jargon | Will the readers understand your jargon and acronyms? |
| Punctuation | Have you punctuated your sentences with commas?Have you used apostrophes correctly? |
