Will I get a lower score if I exceed the word count in my report?

Question

My school said that my book report length should be 600 words long.

I'm homeschooled and it's my first time with this school so I'm not sure if it's okay if I go up to even 800 words.

Will they give me a lower score for exceeding 600? Or do they not care as long as it's not lower than 600.

Thanks.

Answer 1

In our homeschool, I am the teacher and I give extra points for well written papers.   If something can be said in 20 words and said well, it is a good paper.   I don't like papers that just use many words to say the same thing over and over again.  Sometimes students in public school have a word count requirement and they just keep saying the same thing over and over again just so they can have the right amount of words.  I do not think this is good writing to keep repeating oneself again and again.  Using words does not make a good paper.  Many words sometimes even make a good paper into a less than good paper.   Words are useful only if they are used to express something instead of just being words used over and over again.    More words do not make a better paper.  Things can be said with just a few words.  The number of words does not make a better paper because sometimes people just use the same words over and over again and even express the same thought over and over again and again.

So... I'm not sure if you get a lower score or not.  In my homeschool you would not get a lower score or a better score but if you were my student the words would not be counted.  I would know if you were just using words just to get the right amount of words and I would know if you knew how to express yourself without saying the same thing over and over and again and again.

Answer 2

Don't listen to TR...

The point in assignments is to learn, either through the process or through mistakes. Grades are important but in the real world, you dont do work for grades. Go ahead take a risk, if you think your essay is better if its a bit longer, then turn it in that way. If you get points taken off, find out why and learn from your mistakes. Following specific guidelines makes everything so mechanical, especially in writing. Do you think J.K. Rowling has a word limit or a set of guidelines that she has to follow? Of course not. My suggestion to you is, try to shorten it, and if you cant then just turn it in that way and if you get points taken off then  find out how to make your writing more concise in the future.

Hope that helps

Answer 3

In my school, my teacher says that if you cannot get your point across in a certain amount of words then you are not concise enough. That is part of the marking scheme. Try rewording some of you sentences to make them smaller, or combing two related points into one smaller paragraph. Aim in the word limit.

Answer 4

You're doing an online or correspondence school? Whether they care or not is really up to them. Each teacher is different. You can have one who'll dock you for going 10 words under, another who won't, and another who'll dock you for having too many words. Talk to the school.

Answer 5

I think it's fair to say that your homeschooling did not prepare you for this real-world problem, did it?

Frankly, I'm bothered that you should even ask. You should always have points shaved off if your work fails to meet expectations for the assignment.  What, you think that someone who submits something that doesn't follow instructions deserves an A?

Go tell your parents that they failed to teach you properly.  And in the future, don't ask if you should follow the assignment, just do it!