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Mini-module: Interpreting Feedback

Dictionary of Feedback Words Page 9 of 11

Decorative

Here is an explanation of the meaning of the words which are used when giving feedback. There are also examples and links to useful resources. 

 

Assess

First analyse and then come to a judgment about something.

Analyse

Looking closely at something to see how its parts function and how it works. Physical things, ideas or hypotheses, or systems can all be analysed. It is necessary to do an analysis first if you want to make an evaluation of something.

Balance

Consider both sides of an argument rather than looking at only one position. It is better to bring in counterarguments and show that you are aware of them and have got reasons to dismiss them.

Clarity

Academic subjects can get complicated, so it is necessary to explain things very clearly. Choosing the right vocabulary and making sure your grammar is not confusing are important. 

Another way to be clear is to make sure your writing is step-by-step, not missing things, or jumping around. It can help to imagine you are explaining things to someone like yourself, but who does not know your subject. 

Also, see Coherence

Coherence

This is how your writing "sticks together" or the links between sentences and paragraphs. Here are some examples of feedback showing problems with coherence:

“Hard to follow“
“Is this linked to your previous point?”
“Not clear how this links”
“Is this a new point?”

If you get comments like these, it could be because:

  • You are not structuring your paragraphs correctly
  • You are not using linking words and expressions to show how sentences or paragraphs are connected
  • Your argument does not progress in a clear, step by step way

For help with this, see Paragraphs, and Academic Vocabulary.

Concise

For example:

  • “You need to be more concise”
  • “You are using more words than you need.”
  • “Be more concise.”
  • “Too wordy,
  • “Don’t waffle.”

Academic language should be clear. It should also avoid waffle or using more words than you need. You shouldn’t need to impress your tutor with elaborate words and phrases, so keep the language plain and accurate. Use the appropriate technical terms and try to avoid unnecessary words.

Concrete, Specific

Some examples of feedback about this are: 

  • “You need to be more specific, 
  • “Not concrete enough, 
  • “More concrete examples, 
  • “Be more specific, 
  • “Too vague”

Use specific examples rather than just writing in an abstract and general way. Here's an example of a sentence that is too general:

"People like films." 

The tutor reading this immediately has questions: Which people; When; Where; What sort of films; What do you mean by "like"? etc.  

See our Academic Vocabulary resources for help with this. 

Critical Thinking

For example, feedback might contain things like:

  • “Too descriptive”
  • “Critically evaluate”
  • “Critically analyse”

It is not enough just to report the information you find. You need to show you have done some critical thinking about it.

In your writing, show the reader that you are thinking about, questioning and processing the literature that you read.

For help with this, see Mini-module: Quick Guide to Critical Writing (Opens in Moodle).

Depth

See Elaborate

Elaborate

For example:

  • “You need to unpack this”
  • “Please elaborate”
  • “More depth needed”

This means you need to explain more. You may need to define words, give examples, go through something step by step or in more detail.

Flow

See Coherence

Illustrate

You need to give examples

Link

See Coherence

Not answering the question 

If this is a problem, you may get feedback like this:

  • “You haven’t answered the question”
  • “You didn’t address the question”

See the Glossary [pdf] of question words and what they mean and also see the workshop video on the Essay Resources page.

Proofreading

Proofreading is a type of quality control. Comments you might get if this is an issue could be::

  • “A lot of typos”
  • “Wrong word”
  • “Unclear punctuation”
  • “Not clear what you mean here” 

See our guide Editing and Proofreading  for advice about how to improve in this area. 

Range of material

For example:

  • “Show wider reading”
  • “Don’t just use the text book”

You need to find more literature to use, and/or follow up the references you find in what you have read.

Too vague, Too abstract

See Concrete / Specific

Unpack

See Elaborate

Wider range of literature

See Range of material