Essay Feedback That Confuses You? Here’s How to Decode It

By Christopher Smith Aug 04, 2025

You just got your essay back. The grade isn’t what you hoped for, and the feedback? Even worse. A few scribbled words in the margins: “needs clarity,” “too vague,” “expand your point,” “awkward phrasing.”

You read the comments again. Then again. And still, you’re not sure what they actually mean, let alone how to fix anything.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Most students find essay feedback confusing, vague, or demotivating. But here's the good news: once you learn to decode that feedback, you can actually use it to improve fast, and permanently.

Why Essay Feedback Often Feels Useless

1. Teachers Don’t Have Time for Detailed Comments

Most teachers and professors are grading dozens, sometimes hundreds, of essays in a short window. That often means rushing through papers with shorthand notes instead of deep, personalized feedback.

It’s not that they don’t care. It’s that there’s only so much time. So you end up with short, broad comments like “develop your point” or “needs more analysis”, which sound helpful but lack direction.

2. Feedback Is Written in Academic Jargon

Professors and teachers often use academic language when giving feedback:

“Your argument lacks cohesion”
“Be more analytical”
“Strengthen your position”

To them, these phrases are everyday tools. But to a student still learning to write academically, they can feel meaningless or ambiguous, especially without examples to clarify what’s wrong.

3. You’re Too Close to the Work

Sometimes, feedback feels confusing because you know what you meant, but the reader didn’t. When a teacher says “unclear,” it’s frustrating because it made perfect sense to you. This gap between what’s in your head and what’s on the page is where a lot of feedback tension lives.

The Feedback Decoder: What Common Comments Actually Mean

Let’s break down some of the most common (and confusing) feedback phrases, and explain what they actually mean, and how you can respond.

? “Needs More Analysis” or “Too Descriptive”

What it means:
You’re summarizing or stating facts without explaining why they matter. You're telling the reader what happened, not what it means in context.

Fix it:

Ask yourself: So what? after each piece of evidence or quote.
Show how your evidence proves your thesis, not just that it exists.
Avoid surface-level commentary. Dive into implications, causes, effects, or contradictions.

Example:
Instead of: “The character feels sad after the event.”
Try: “The character’s sadness reflects a deeper sense of guilt, showing how their moral struggle shapes the story’s resolution.”

? “Your Argument Isn’t Clear” or “Unfocused”

What it means:
Your main point (thesis) is vague, buried, or shifts during the essay. The reader isn’t sure what exactly you're trying to prove.

Fix it:

State your main argument clearly in the introduction, and stick to it.
Each body paragraph should directly support that argument.
Eliminate side tangents or unrelated points that weaken focus.

Tip: Read only your topic sentences in a row. Do they support one clear idea? If not, you’re drifting.

? “Unclear Expression” or “Awkward Sentence”

What it means:
Your phrasing makes it hard to follow. It might be overly complex, grammatically off, or missing key words.

Fix it:

Read sentences aloud. If they don’t sound natural, rewrite them.
Use shorter sentences with clear subjects and verbs.
Don’t try to sound “academic” by stuffing in big words. Clarity > complexity.

Quick Test: Can someone unfamiliar with the topic understand your sentence on the first try? If not, revise.

? “Weak Evidence” or “Unsupported Claims”

What it means:
You’re making statements without proof, or the evidence you use doesn’t directly support your point.

Fix it:

Use direct quotes, data, or specific examples.
Explain how the evidence links back to your argument.
Avoid generic phrases like “This shows that…”, get specific.

Example:
Instead of: “Many people believe climate change is real.”
Try: “A 2023 Pew Research study found that 72% of U.S. adults believe climate change is a major threat, highlighting growing public concern that shapes national policy.”

? “Needs Better Structure” or “Hard to Follow”

What it means:
The flow of your essay is off, maybe ideas jump around, transitions are weak, or paragraphs are unbalanced.

Fix it:

Start each paragraph with a topic sentence
Use transition phrases to show logical flow (“However,” “In contrast,” “Therefore”).
Group related ideas together, don’t scatter points across multiple places.

Tool to Try: Use a reverse outline: write one sentence for what each paragraph says. If the flow doesn’t build logically, restructure.

How to Actually Use Feedback to Improve

? 1. Focus on Patterns, Not Individual Comments

One vague comment might not tell you much. But if you see the same type of feedback across multiple essays, “vague,” “unclear,” “needs analysis”, that’s your signal. It means there’s a core skill you need to build, not just a one-time fix.

?? 2. Revise Just One Paragraph Using Feedback

Instead of rewriting your whole essay, take one weak paragraph and revise it using the feedback. Can you improve the clarity, add better evidence, or tighten the structure? Practicing this way gives you instant insight into how to improve any part of your writing.

? 3. Ask for Clarification (The Right Way)

It’s okay to ask your teacher or professor:

“Could you give me an example of what ‘more analysis’ looks like in my essay?”
“Which part of the argument felt unclear to you?”

Don’t ask, “Why did I lose marks?” Ask, “How can I make this stronger?” That signals you’re serious, and invites better help.

? 4. Use Rubrics Like a Translator

If your feedback makes no sense, go back to the grading rubric (if provided). Compare your essay with the criteria for each section, argument strength, evidence use, clarity, structure. This can help translate vague feedback into specific action steps.

Conclusion

It’s frustrating when your essay comes back full of marks, arrows, and cryptic comments. But if you shift your mindset and learn to decode that feedback, it becomes less like judgment, and more like a map. A map that points to better writing, clearer thinking, and higher grades.

Your teacher doesn’t want perfection. They want progress.

The next time you get your paper back, don’t just look at the grade. Ask what the feedback is trying to teach you. Then, write again, with clarity, confidence, and control.