essay correction codes

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 Error Correction

This page includes a standard error correction symbol code. Use these symbols to highlight key mistakes in a student’s work.

This is a 3-way system .

  1) Tutor marks the mistakes using the correction code and returns  to the student.

2) Student makes correction in a different colour pen and returns to the tutor.

3) Tutor checks the corrections and returns to the student.

Reason: This way the student learns from their mistakes and takes more responsibility in correcting errors and learning from mistakes.

Error Correction sheet

√ = good point / good idea

√√ = very good point

? = confusing

^ = missing word

Gr = Grammar

A = Article (a, an, the, /)

WW = Wrong Word

WF = Wrong form

Coll = Collocation  

W/O = Word Order

Inf = informal

Prep = Preposition

P = Punctuation

R = repetition

Sp = Spelling

RC = Relative clause (which, that, who etc..)

Ref = in-text reference problem

Cau = caution (too strong – soften with could, may, might, appears, possibly)

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1.2 GETTING STARTED: Using Correction Codes

1. If you see an correction code with just a question mark (?), what should you do?

• Rewrite the sentence another way.
• Ask the teacher a question.
• Change the sentence into a question.

2. What does the code “ART” mean?

• You have a mistake involving a, an, the or zero article.
• Your writing is too artsy.
• You should refer to the American Rhetoric Text for help.

3. Which sentence is an example of an S-V error?

• The child eat candy every day.
• The dog ran in the park.
• The man works at a bank.

4. What error code might you give the following sentence?  The water flowed quickerly over the river banks and flooded the town.

5. What does the code “SP” mean?

• Be specific.
• Check spelling.
• It’s special.

6. Identify the error in this sentence:    So many students study English classes at Portland Community College are not always easy.

• It is a comma splice. A coordinating conjunction should be added to separate the independent clauses.
• It is a fragment. It is not a complete sentence.
• It is a run-on sentence. Punctuation should be added to separate the independent clauses.
• There is no error in the sentence.

7. What does the code “PRO” mean?

• professional

8.  Which error code would apply to the following sentence: You can do tonight, the homework?

9. What does the code “C/S” mean?

• Good point; the teacher can see what you mean.
• You should add a comma to your sentence.
• Your sentence has a comma splice.

10.  The following sentence has a FRAG error: Many students happy about spring in Portland.   What does FRAG mean?

• FRAG stands for fully recognized and graded; this means that the sentence is understandable, but not perfect, so it will receive a lower grade.
• FRAG means fragment, or only a part of something, not the whole thing. So this is not a complete sentence. It is missing either a subject or a verb, or it does not express a complete idea.
• FRAG means “fragile”. In other words, this sentence has a good idea, but it is not written well. It needs to be stronger.

Synthesis Copyright © 2022 by Timothy Krause is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Marking Students' Written Work with Correction Codes

Teaching english as a foreign language for dummies.

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Most teachers use a correction code when they mark written work so that the student can do some self-correction. You can devise your own symbols but this table shows some possibilities.

About This Article

This article is from the book:.

• Teaching English as a Foreign Language For Dummies ,

About the book author:

Michelle Maxom has been teaching English throughout the UK and Italy since 1997 and has the Trinity Certificate and Licentiate Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Formerly Director of Studies at Avalon School of English, she now trains would-be TEFL teachers and runs one-to-one and executive English courses.

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• Presenting Grammar in English Lessons
• Good Classroom Practice for Teaching English as Foreign Language
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The Most Useful 10 Symbols To Use For Correcting Students’ Writing

Correcting errors and giving feedback on writing can be tricky. If you correct everything, there is a danger of covering the work in comments and ‘red ink’. This can be both demotivating and unhelpful because the students either give up or they just write out the piece again with all your corrections inserted. Alternatively, if you decide to focus only on certain errors or give feedback only on certain parts of their work, the students will wonder at a later stage why you didn’t highlight all the mistakes to begin with.

One way to help them is to develop a correction code. This is a series of symbols that you use to indicate errors.

Write the symbol above the error so that the students have to think about what the mistake is rather than simply read your correction of it. So a sentence in an essay might look like this:

C                       WW                                   WO  SP

John was very sensible and didn’t take well critisism.

The symbols above indicate that the sentence needs a capital letter (C), sensible is the wrong word (WW) (having been confused with sensitive), the word order (WO) of well criticism should be criticism well and there’s a spelling mistake (SP) in the final word.

Having to find their own mistakes like this creates a greater challenge for the students.

Note: If you are marking computer-written texts, the same principles apply. However, you can insert your comments using different coloured fonts or use the comments function, which creates small boxes in the margin of the text with a space to give feedback.

Here are the most useful 10 symbols you could put on your students’ writing in order to help them notice their mistakes.

This indicates a spelling mistake in a word.

If students write words in the wrong order, such as an adjective after a noun ( house big instead of big house ), write WO to indicate the problem.

You can write P to let your students know there is a punctuation problem.

When students make a mistake with verb tense, you can write a T above the verb. In the following example, the student has used the present perfect when the tense should be the past simple:

I’ve started work here in 2001.

“Wrong word,” tells the student they need to replace a word because it doesn’t have the right meaning.

This indicates a missing word in the sentence and usually, you put it under the sentence or inserted it between the two words where a word is missing, like this:

I’m interested “ learning more about English.

As well as missing a word, students sometimes add an extra incorrect word. You can use the square bracket symbol around the incorrect word or above it, like this:

All you need is [the] love.

WF stands for an incorrect word form. For example, perhaps a student has written the adjective form instead of an adverb (e.g. I ran quick ) or the verb form instead of a noun (e.g. Let me give you some advise ).

If a student has turned one word into two words, then connect them with this curved line, like this:

‘I can’t see them any~where!’ Gavin said.

Sometimes students will run one sentence into another, so you want to indicate that they should create two separate sentences. Use a backslash symbol, like this:

We walked for over an hour / suddenly there was a loud crashing sound!

In longer pieces of writing, you can also indicate that the essay writer needs to start a new paragraph. Many teachers write double lines (//) at the end of a sentence to show that the next sentence should be the start of the next paragraph.

Most of the previous symbols are fairly standard in English language teaching, though you will come across others. The important thing is that you should be consistent with your symbols when marking your students’ work. It’s a good idea to give them a brief guide to your marking symbols at the beginning of a course so that they are familiar with the symbols you are using.

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Very interesting and very timely during this pandemic era.I would pitch this to my school principal for Learn]ng Action Cell session among lanuage teachers to have a unifor writing assessment tool.

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Editing and Proofreading Marks in Composition

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

When your instructor returns a composition , are you sometimes puzzled by the abbreviations and symbols that appear in the margins? If so, this guide should help you decipher those marks during the editing and proofreading stages of the writing process .

Common Proofreading Marks Explained

The following proofreading marks have a brief explanation of the definition your instructor is likely trying to convey for your revisions.

ab: Abbreviation  (Use a standard abbreviation or write out the word in full.)

ad: Adjective or adverb  (Use the correct form of the modifier.)

agr: Agreement  (Use the correct ending to make the verb agree with its subject .)

awk: Awkward expression or construction.

cap: Capital letter  (Replace a lowercase letter with a capital letter.)

case: Case  (Use the appropriate case of the pronoun: subjective , objective , or possessive .)

cliché: Cliché  (Replace the worn-out expression with a fresh figure of speech .)

coh: Coherence  and cohesion (Make clear connections as you move from one point to the next.)

coord: Coordination  (Use coordinating conjunctions to relate equal ideas.)

cs: Comma splice  (Replace the comma with a period or a conjunction.)

d: Diction  (Replace the word with one that's more precise or appropriate.)

dm: Dangling modifier  (Add a word so that the modifier refers to something in the sentence.) 

emph: Emphasis  (Restructure the sentence to emphasize a key word or phrase.)

frag: Sentence fragment  (Add a subject or verb to make this word group complete.)

fs: Fused sentence  (Separate the word group into two sentences.)

gloss: Glossary of usage  (Check the glossary to see how to use this word correctly.)

hyph: Hyphen  (Insert a hyphen between these two words or word parts.)

inc: Incomplete construction.

irreg: Irregular verb  (Check our index of verbs to find the correct form of this irregular verb.)

ital: Italics  (Put the marked word or phrase in italics.)

jarg: Jargon  (Replace the expression with one your readers will understand.)

lc: Lowercase letter (Replace a capital letter with a lowercase letter.)

mm: Misplaced modifier  (Move the modifier so that it clearly refers to an appropriate word.)

mood: Mood  (Use the correct mood of the verb.)

nonst: Nonstandard usage  (Use standard words and word forms in formal writing .)

org: Organization  (Organize information clearly and logically.)

p: Punctuation  (Use an appropriate mark of punctuation.)

' apostrophe

—   dash

? question mark

" " quotation marks

¶: Paragraph break  (Begin a new paragraph at this point.)

//: Parallelism  (Express paired words, phrases, or clauses in grammatically parallel form.)

pro: Pronoun  (Use a pronoun that refers clearly to a noun.)

run-on: Run-on (fused) sentence  (Separate the word group into two sentences.)

slang: Slang  (Replace the marked word or phrase with a more formal or conventional expression.)

sp: Spelling  (Correct a misspelled word or spell out an abbreviation.)

subord: Subordination  (Use a subordinating conjunction to connect a supporting word group to the main idea.)

tense: Tense  (Use the correct tense of the verb.)

trans: Transition  (Add an appropriate transitional expression to guide readers from one point to the next.)

unity: Unity  (Don't stray too far from your main idea.)

v/^: Missing letter(s) or word(s).

#: Insert a space.

wordy: Wordy writing (Cut out unnecessary words.)

ww: Wrong word (Use a dictionary to find a more appropriate word.)

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A Must-have Poster: Writing Correction Code

Language teachers sometimes have the tendency of providing edits when checking students’ pieces of writing. Because students’ mistakes in writing can sometimes be “provoking” in a way, language teachers are tempted to provide corrections instead of eliciting them.  However, by providing edits, teachers can never be certain that students will not make the same mistakes again. It is with hints teachers suggest through writing editing codes that learners can initiate some self-correction, which is one of the key elements in learning writing skills. Moreover, self-correction instils autonomy in students, and, by extension, they will likely make fewer mistakes.

A writing correction/editing code is a set of rules and symbols that instructors can use to assess students’ pieces of writing in order to elicit corrections rather than provide them. Using correction codes is considerably effective in teaching ESL/EFL writing. MacDonald (2020 ) investigated the effectiveness of different writing corrective feedback strategies on L2 writing accuracy and analysed the findings of 14 studies which incorporated correction codes. He suggested that correction codes have a more significant positive impact on long-term writing accuracy compared to direct writing corrective feedback. What is more, writing codes can “promote additional reflection and higher-level thinking for learners.”

Before you start using the writing code symbols for feedback, your students should first be supervised in class so that they fully understand what is expected of them. As such, we suggest that you keep your writing correction code on a poster or print it in a form of handouts for your students. Alternatively, students can copy it somewhere on their notebooks for reference.

It is also recommended that you confine your feedback only to what your students have learned in writing classes. As you advance in the course, you can include more elements until you gradually cover them all.  For instance, at the outset of the course, you can only focus on capitalization, spelling, and some grammatical mistakes. Later on, you can indicate verb-subject-agreement mistakes, etc.

• EFL Collective Writing Correction Code
• British Council Suggested Writing Code

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Comments (4) on “A Must-have Poster: Writing Correction Code”

Very useful and practical. Many thanks Sir. Mourad El Hanafi

Thank you so much, Si Imam. We’re glad you liked it ☺️

Jazaka Allahu khair. This is very useful.

It is pleasure to serve you, dear colleague. Wa jazak 🤲

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Writing Class: Error Correction Codes with Examples

January 28, 2024 Jeff Lebow Featured , Guides 0

I have learned from my experiences teaching English composition that if I simply correct student errors, they are quite likely to make the same mistakes again and again. Instead, using Google Docs, I highlight a portion of their text and comment with a code that indicates the type of correction needed. Below are the codes that I use, along with explanations and examples.

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Correction codes are standardized symbols or abbreviations used to indicate and rectify specific types of errors in written text. They provide a concise and efficient way to identify and address mistakes, allowing writers to improve the accuracy and clarity of their work.

These codes are important for several reasons:

Precision: Correction codes enable precise identification of errors by categorizing them according to their type. Instead of providing lengthy explanations or rewriting entire sentences, codes offer a shorthand method to pinpoint specific areas that require attention. This precision saves time and effort, making the editing process more efficient.

Consistency: Correction codes provide a consistent and standardized approach to error identification and correction. By adhering to a set of established codes, writers and editors can communicate and understand errors in a uniform manner. This promotes clarity and ensures that corrections are made consistently throughout a piece of writing.

Efficiency: With correction codes, the editing process becomes streamlined. Writers can quickly identify the specific type of error without getting caught up in lengthy explanations. This allows them to focus on making the necessary corrections promptly, enhancing the overall efficiency of the editing and revision process.

Focus on Specific Errors: Correction codes help writers focus on specific areas of improvement. By highlighting different types of errors, such as spelling, grammar, punctuation, or word choice, the codes guide writers to target their attention on particular aspects that require correction. This targeted approach ensures a thorough review and reduces the likelihood of overlooking errors.

Learning Tool: Correction codes serve as educational tools, helping writers identify recurring mistakes and learn from them. By using the codes consistently, writers can track their progress over time, recognizing patterns in their errors and taking steps to improve their writing skills. The codes provide a framework for self-improvement and ongoing development as a writer.

In English, there are several correction codes used to indicate and rectify errors. Here is a list of commonly used correction codes in English:

SP: means Spelling Error – This code is used to indicate a spelling mistake in a word.

^: means A word or letter is missing: This code is used to indicate that a word or letter is missing.

GR means Grammar Error – This code is used to highlight a grammatical error in a sentence.

P means Punctuation Error – This code is used to identify a mistake in punctuation usage, such as missing or incorrect punctuation marks.

CS means Capitalization Error – This code indicates an error in the capitalization of words, such as using lowercase letters for proper nouns or starting a sentence with a lowercase letter.

VT means Verb Tense Error – This code is used to point out errors in verb tense consistency or incorrect verb usage.

WC means Word Choice Error – This code indicates an incorrect or inappropriate word choice in a sentence.

SV means Subject / Verb agreement error. This code indicates an error in subject/verb agreement within a sentence.       

AWK means Awkward Phrasing – This code is used when a sentence or phrase is poorly constructed or awkwardly worded.

RO means Run-On Sentence – This code is used to identify a sentence that lacks appropriate punctuation, resulting in two or more independent clauses joined together without proper separation.

FRAG means Sentence Fragment – This code indicates a sentence that is incomplete or lacks a subject, verb, or both.

MOD means Modifier Error – This code is used to highlight errors in the use of modifiers, such as misplaced or dangling modifiers.

COH means Lack of Coherence – This code is used to indicate a lack of logical or cohesive connection between sentences or paragraphs.

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Error-Correction Codes

“Well done. This is good information.”

“Very well done. This is excellent information.” 

“This expression is too unclear to understand or fix. Please re-write it again more carefully.”

“This claim does not have a citation. Please include one.”

Over a million people are infected with the disease every year. ©

Over a million people are infected with the disease every year (Smith, 2020). ✔

Related readers: Referencing , Referencing Features , Citation Types

“This information is not relevant to this assignment. Please consider removing or changing it.”

“The words or letters between the square brackets should be deleted.”

Much research has been conducted into this [ exciting ] topic. 

Much research has been conducted into this topic.  ✔

“Please indent this paragraph or remove the indent.”

Related readers: Essay Writing , Essay Formatting

“This is where a new paragraph should begin or where text should be joined into the same paragraph.”

“Add or remove a space between the elements here.”

Much / research has been conducted into this topic. 

“Add a line break here to more clearly divide these paragraphs.”

“This punctuation mark is not correct and should be changed or removed.”

There are many greenhouse gases; such as carbon dioxide and methane. !P

There are many greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane. ✔

Related readers: Grammar Practice , Punctuation

“The words between these brackets should be reordered.”

The man < English studies > every day. 

The man studies English every day. ✔

“This is a comma splice. Please separate these sentences or join them correctly.”

I like studying English , I practise my language every day . CS

I like studying English; I practise my language every day. ✔

Related readers: Grammar Practice , Sentences , Sentence Run-Ons and Fragments

“This is a sentence fragment. Please rewrite this sentence correctly.”

I’m studying English. Even though I don’t like it . SF

I’m studying English even though I don’t like it. ✔

“This is a sentence run on. Please fix the sentence structure.”

Even though I don’t find it interesting I’m studying it . SRO

Even though I don’t find it interesting, I’m studying it. ✔

“Your sentence structure is not quite right. Please redraft this sentence to improve coherence.”

Related readers: Grammar Practice , Sentences , Sentence Structures

“This subject and verb do not agree in person or number.”

The student like studying English.  SUBv.

The student likes studying English ✔

Related readers: Grammar Practice , Verb Functions , Subject-Verb Agreement

“This verb phrase should be active not passive.”

The teacher was failed the student. v.A

The teacher failed the student. ✔

Related readers: Grammar Practice , Verb Functions , Passive Constructions

“The verb aspect (simple, progressive, perfect or perfect progressive) is not correct.”

I am reading three books already today. v.Asp

I have read three books already today. ✔

Related readers: Grammar Practice , Verb Functions , Verb Aspect

“This verb is not correctly formed. You may need to use a different participle.”

I have study many experiments about this. v.F

I have studied many experiments about this. ✔

Related readers: Grammar Practice , Words , About Verbs

“This verb phrase should be passive not active.”

The student failed by the teacher. v.P

The student was failed by the teacher. ✔

“This verb is not in the correct tense (past, present,  future).”

The student fails the exam yesterday. v.T

The student failed the exam yeserday. ✔

Related readers: Grammar Practice , Verb Functions , Verb Tense

“This word is not formed correctly. Try a different word type such as a noun or adjective.”

There is much informative about the topic. WF

There is much information about the topic. ✔

Related readers: Grammar Practice , Word Structures , Word Forms

“Use a different word or phrase. This expression is incorrect, inappropriate or could be improved.”

There is much nation  about the topic. ?

Related readers: Academic Guidance , Vocabulary , Academic Word Lists

“You are missing a cohesive word or phrase here, or the cohesive device you have used is not correct.”

In second , studies have shown that pollution has a negative impact on health. #

Secondly, studies have shown that pollution has a negative impact on health. ✔

Related readers: Academic Guidance , Vocabulary , Cohesive Devices

“You have used a lower case letter here but this should be a capital letter.”

Elvis p resley was the king of rock.  ↑

Elvis Presley was the king of rock. ✔

“You have used a capital letter here but this letter should be lower case.”

The T eacher is clearly interested in the topic. ↓

The teacher is clearly interested in the topic. ✔

“This noun should be singular not plural.”

One problems with this is that it seriously affects health. =1

One problem with this is that it seriously affects health. ✔

Related readers: Grammar Practice , Affixes , Plural Markers

“This noun should be plural not singular.”

Two factor are health and longevity. =2

Two factors are health and longevity. ✔

“This noun is not countable. Please fix the grammar.”

There has been many research about this topic. =X

There has been a lot of research about this topic. ✔

“These words are spelled incorrectly.”

“This expression is not academic. It may be too emotive, subjective or informal.”

Air pollution is a big problem in many countries. xAC

Air pollution is a significant problem in many countries. ✔

Related readers: Academic Guidance , Vocabulary , Academic Language

“Insert an adjective here.”

Air pollution is a ^adj.  problem in many countries.

Related readers: Grammar Practice , Word Types , Adjectives

“Insert an adverb here.”

Air pollution is a ^adv. significant problem in India in particular.

Air pollution is a very significant problem in India in particular. ✔

Related readers: Grammar Practice , Word Types , Adverbs

“Insert an article here such as ‘a’, ‘an’ or ‘the’.”

Air pollution is ^art. significant problem in many countries.

Related readers: Grammar Practice , Word Types , Articles

“Insert a coordinating conjunction here such as ‘and’, ‘but’ or ‘yet’.”

Air pollution is a problem ^cc. many governments know it.

Air pollution is a problem and many governments know it. ✔

Related readers: Grammar Practice , Word Types , Conjunctions

“Insert a modal verb here such as ‘will’ or ‘may’.”

Air pollution ^mv. become a more significant problem   in the future.

Air pollution will become a more significant problem in the future. ✔

Related readers: Grammar Practice , Word Types , Modal Verbs

“Insert a noun here.”

Air ^n. will become a more significant problem   in the future.

Related readers: Grammar Practice , Word Types , Nouns

“Insert a punctuation mark here such as a comma, full stop or colon.”

Air pollution   will become a more significant problem   in the future ^p.

Related readers: Grammar Practice , Punctuation , Colons and Semicolons

“Insert a pronoun here such as ‘he’ or ‘it’.”

Air pollution   will become a more significant problem   in the future.  ^pn. Has increased by… 

Air pollution will become a more significant problem in the future. It has increased by… ✔

Related readers: Grammar Practice , Word Types , Pronouns

“Insert a preposition here such as ‘in’ or ‘over’.”

Air pollution levels will almost certainly go ^pr.   in the future. 

Air pollution levels will almost certainly go up in the future. ✔

Related readers: Grammar Practice , Words , Prepositions

“Insert a quantifier here such as ‘some’ or ‘many’.”

^q.   People believe that air pollution is not a problem for health.

Some people believe that air pollution is not a problem for health. ✔

Related readers: Grammar Practice , Words , Quantifiers

“Insert a subordinating conjunction here such as ‘because’ or ‘even though’.”

This increase in lung cancer is likely ^sc. air pollution is now global. 

This increase in lung cancer is likely because air pollution is now global. ✔

“Insert a verb here.”

Air pollution   will ^v. a more significant problem   in the future.

Related readers: Grammar Practice , Word Types , Verbs

English for Academic Purposes

Correction codes

IELTS ∞ Correction codes ∞ Account details ∞ Writing blog ∞ Answer-keys

When you are given feedback on your written work, teachers normally use symbols (رموز) and abbreviations (الاختصارات).

By understanding these “error correction codes”, you will become more aware of the common errors/mistakes you make when writing in English. This knowledge can improve your overall English writing abilities.

Worksheets &c.

Using Error Codes and correcting “mistakes”