Using Self and Peer Assessment to Improve Students’ Essay Writing: a Case Study from Geography

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Abstract
This paper reports on a project aiming to improve students’ essay writing performance on a first year geography course. The intention was that through self and peer assessment as well as tutor assessment of essays, students would learn about assessment criteria and ways of meeting these. Students were prepared for this role in a preparatory workshop in which they helped to generate criteria, and self and peer assessment were carefully supervised and regulated. The success of the project is evaluated based upon analysis of marks, student feedback and the opinion of the staff who led the project. Self and peer marks were considered less reliable than tutor marks, perhaps because of the subjective nature of this type of assessment and the relative inexperience of the students, but this risk is considered to be outweighed by the benefits to student learning.