Why Your Essay Grades Have Dropped (And How to Fix Them)
If your essay grades have dropped recently, you’re not alone.
I’ve had so many messages from students saying the same thing:
They were getting good grades…and now they’re 10–20% lower.
They’ve tried reading the feedback.
They’ve spent more time on their essays.
They’ve proofread more carefully.
They’ve even asked their tutor for help.
And still… nothing seems to change.
If this is you, this post will help you understand what’s actually going on – and what to do next.
This post is based on a podcast episode, which you can listen to or watch above. Or if you prefer reading, keep going for the full breakdown.
Ways to listen:
Listen in the player above
Click to listen on Apple Podcasts.
Click to listen on Spotify.
Why a drop in grades feels so frustrating
A dip in grades isn’t just about the number.
It messes with your confidence.
You start questioning yourself:
Which grades reflect my real ability?
Were my previous grades a fluke?
Are these lower grades unfair?
Am I getting worse?
And when you’re already putting in effort, it can feel even more disheartening.
The common assumption (that’s holding you back)
Most students assume:
“If I just try harder, spend more time, and check my work more carefully, my grades will improve.”
But here’s the problem.
Effort alone doesn’t guarantee better grades.
Because essay performance isn’t just about how much you do – it’s about what skills you’re demonstrating.
The real reason your essay grades have dropped
Your grades haven’t dropped randomly.
And it’s not because you’ve suddenly become worse at writing.
The real reason is this:
Your course requirements have increased – but your skills haven’t caught up yet
As your course progresses:
essays get more complex
expectations increase
higher-level thinking is required
So even if you’re working just as hard as before, your previous skill level is no longer enough.
The “10% drop” reality
One of the most useful things I was told during my degree was this:
If your skills stay the same, your grades will drop as your course progresses.
For example:
70% in first year → ~60% in second year
60% → ~50%
and so on
The exact numbers don’t matter.
The principle does.
If your skills don’t improve, your grades won’t stay stable – they’ll decline.
What essays are actually testing (and why this matters)
To understand how to fix this, we need to zoom out.
What is an essay actually for?
It’s not just about writing something that sounds good.
It’s about demonstrating:
specific knowledge
specific skills
Your course has learning objectives.
Each essay is designed to test whether you can demonstrate those objectives at the required level.
And that level increases over time.
How skills gaps cause grade drops
Let’s make this practical.
Imagine:
Essay 1 tests skills 1–10 → you score well
Essay 2 tests skills 3–13 → some overlap, but new skills are introduced
If you haven’t developed skills 11–13 yet, your grade drops.
Not because you’re incapable.
Because you haven’t learned how to demonstrate those skills yet.
Examples of common skills gaps
1. Describing instead of analysing
You might be great at:
explaining theory
describing research
including evidence
But your newer essays require:
analysis
evaluation
If you keep writing in the same way, you miss out on higher-level marks.
2. Not fully answering the question
You might write a strong essay that is:
clear
well-evidenced
well-structured
But if it doesn’t directly answer the question, you lose marks.
This is a gap in:
understanding the task
staying aligned to the question
3. Running out of word count for critical thinking
You might:
spend too many words explaining
leave too little space for analysis
This becomes a gap in:
concision
prioritisation
There is always a reason
If your essay grades have dropped and you feel confused, here’s something important:
There is always a reason.
If you can’t see it yet, it just means it’s not visible to you yet.
And that’s completely normal because most students are never properly taught how to write essays.
Step 1: identify your skills gaps
Start by asking:
Where did I miss the mark in my last essay?
What feedback keeps coming up?
Which skills am I less confident in?
Use your feedback properly
Go through your feedback line by line and look for clues about:
structure (intro, paragraphs, conclusion)
clarity and flow
referencing
use of theory
analysis and evaluation
alignment to the question
If needed, ask your tutor:
“What are the 2–3 most important things I should improve for my next essay?”
Step 2: reflect on your process
Sometimes the issue isn’t just your writing, it’s your process.
Ask yourself:
Am I reading too much irrelevant material?
Am I planning properly before writing?
Am I leaving time to edit?
Improving your process can significantly improve your results.
Step 3: actively improve your skills
Once you’ve identified your gaps, the next step is simple (but not always easy):
You need to work on them.
That might involve:
using university support
attending skills sessions
learning from targeted resources
applying new strategies in your next essay
A final reminder
Improving your grades is not about working harder.
It’s about working smarter.
The process is:
Identify your skills gaps
Learn how to improve those skills
Make time to actually practise them
Because if your skills don’t improve between essays…
Why would your results?
Want help improving your essay skills?
If you want structured, step-by-step support to improve your essay writing, I’ll be sharing more details about my Write Better Essays programme very soon.
It’s designed to help you:
understand exactly what high-grade essays require
develop the skills to meet those expectations
and apply them confidently in your own work
Keep an eye out for the next episode where I’ll be sharing more.