How to give useful peer feedback on an essay

Read the question and any teacher criteria alongside the draft. Check whether the peer review task asks for argument, evidence, structure, language or particular questions. Ask the writer which part they are uncertain about. A first draft may need help with its reasoning before it needs sentence editing.

Read the whole essay once before commenting. Then summarize its main answer in one sentence and point to the passage that gave you that impression. If the writer intended a different answer, you have found a useful gap between intention and what the draft communicates.

Identify something specific that works and why. For example, a paragraph might define a term before using it in a comparison, making the comparison easier to follow. That observation helps the writer preserve an effective choice during revision.

Attach a comment to a sentence or paragraph. Describe the reading problem: an unsupported claim, a missing connection, an unclear reference or a point that does not answer the question. Explain its effect on your understanding, then suggest an action or ask a focused question.

Instead of “confusing”, write: “In paragraph 3, I cannot tell whether ‘this change’ refers to the new rule or the earlier decision. Could you name the change before explaining its effect?” Instead of “more evidence”, identify the claim that needs support and what kind of evidence would help assess it.

Distinguish a correction you can verify from a preference. If a date or quotation looks wrong, check the supplied source or flag it for checking. If you would prefer a different opening, say why it might help the reader. Personal preference alone does not establish that the current opening fails the task.

Imagine an assignment asking whether a school should replace its printed newsletter with a website. A fictional draft says: “The newsletter should move online because it is easier to read. Everyone has a phone, and printing wastes money.” This is invented writing for practice, not evidence about a real school or its families.

One useful comment would be: “In this paragraph, the recommendation depends on every reader being able to use the website, but the sentence ‘Everyone has a phone’ has no evidence. I cannot yet judge whether replacing print would preserve access for all intended readers. Could you check what the assignment sources say about access and then support or narrow that claim?”

A second comment could address the cost reasoning: “The final sentence treats printing as wasted money without comparing it with what print provides or what the website would cost to maintain. Could you explain the basis for that judgement? If cost information is missing, say what you would need before making the comparison.”

These comments explain why the evidence gap affects the recommendation. They leave the writer responsible for choosing a conclusion. Writing a replacement paragraph for them would skip that decision and could introduce claims neither of you has checked.

Choose the comments that matter most to whether the essay answers the question. An unclear main claim or missing evidence usually affects more of the draft than a repeated word. If the teacher specifies a feedback format or number of comments, follow it; otherwise, a small set of explained priorities is easier to use than a page of disconnected reactions.

Finish with a brief note naming the strongest part, the main revision need and where to start. For the fictional essay, that could be: “Your recommendation is clear. First check the access assumption in paragraph 2, since it affects whether replacing print is justified. Then develop the cost comparison using the evidence available.”

Give the writer room to ask what a comment means. Point back to the passage and describe how you read it. If a suggested change would alter their argument, discuss the reason rather than insisting on your preferred conclusion. Feedback is useful when the writer can assess it and make an informed revision.