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English Literature Essay: 188 words over!

I have tried cutting it down as much as possible but I can't shorten it any more. I have heard of some people getting marked down for this. Is 188 words too much? I have to write it up without my notes so I might even write a bit more! Thank you in advance.
Are you referring to a controlled assesment?
Reply 2
Original post by LenniesRabbit
Are you referring to a controlled assesment?


yes.
Reply 3
It depends what the word limit is.

For my eng lit a level coursework we were allowed 150 words over which was 10% extra so it depends on the word limit and the exam board you are with.


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Reply 4
Original post by Munch98
It depends what the word limit is.

For my eng lit a level coursework we were allowed 150 words over which was 10% extra so it depends on the word limit and the exam board you are with.


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the word limit was 2000
Reply 5
Original post by Munch98
It depends what the word limit is.

For my eng lit a level coursework we were allowed 150 words over which was 10% extra so it depends on the word limit and the exam board you are with.


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and I am doing GCSE AQA
Reply 6
Original post by _-_Ella_-_
the word limit was 2000


From this I would say that as long as you were under 200 extra words you should be fine.

My a level course is also AQA and my teacher said that they are more lenient with the word count than other exam boards.



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Reply 7
Original post by Munch98
From this I would say that as long as you were under 200 extra words you should be fine.

My a level course is also AQA and my teacher said that they are more lenient with the word count than other exam boards.



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Okay thank you. I only found out about the word limit at the last minute and so I had to cut everything down :/
Reply 8
I had this prob, if u want me to read through it and try and see what stuff could possibly be cut out just email me it.... its not that much over dont worry. Have you tried giving it to your teacher and tell him/her what might be ok to cut out but still achieve a good mark? Some people in my class were like 500 words over and my teacher was like "oh dont worry its ok we'll easily sort that out" lol
I've been told that as long as everything you say is meaningful and contributes something to the essay, you won't be marked down for going 10% over the word count. however, if you do have sections with waffle, you need to cut them out.

If you really don't want to risk it with the word count, one of the best ways I used to cut down overlong essays, was to highlight my essay in word according to the mark scheme, so I could see which parts were earning me marks from which assessment objectives. When it's all highlighted, you can see which points don't earn you marks, making them easier to cut down.
As long as it isn't waffle it's fine. :smile:

For my Edexcel english lit cw, the word limit was 2000, I wrote like 2600 words or something. :colondollar: It was fine with the teacher - and they're the one marking it so...
Original post by Tj789
I had this prob, if u want me to read through it and try and see what stuff could possibly be cut out just email me it.... its not that much over dont worry. Have you tried giving it to your teacher and tell him/her what might be ok to cut out but still achieve a good mark? Some people in my class were like 500 words over and my teacher was like "oh dont worry its ok we'll easily sort that out" lol


Original post by LamantChenille
I've been told that as long as everything you say is meaningful and contributes something to the essay, you won't be marked down for going 10% over the word count. however, if you do have sections with waffle, you need to cut them out.

If you really don't want to risk it with the word count, one of the best ways I used to cut down overlong essays, was to highlight my essay in word according to the mark scheme, so I could see which parts were earning me marks from which assessment objectives. When it's all highlighted, you can see which points don't earn you marks, making them easier to cut down.


Original post by turn-to-page394
As long as it isn't waffle it's fine. :smile:

For my Edexcel english lit cw, the word limit was 2000, I wrote like 2600 words or something. :colondollar: It was fine with the teacher - and they're the one marking it so...


Thank you. I think that considering my word limit is 2000 and I am not 200 words over I should be fine. I just hope that when I am writing it up I don't add too many words in.
Reply 12
Original post by Tj789
I had this prob, if u want me to read through it and try and see what stuff could possibly be cut out just email me it.... its not that much over dont worry. Have you tried giving it to your teacher and tell him/her what might be ok to cut out but still achieve a good mark? Some people in my class were like 500 words over and my teacher was like "oh dont worry its ok we'll easily sort that out" lol


Would you mind help me with mine? :smile:
Reply 13
Original post by SL2310
Would you mind help me with mine? :smile:


Of course! If you want to send me your essay what I'll do is look through and any words that could be cut out i'll highlight them in red (most likely it'd be pointless words, something that can be phrased differently or abbreviations)

Trying to cut out words can be so frustrating, so if you need a helping hand id be glad to.

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