How can formative feedback be integrated into writing, according to effective practice?

How can formative feedback be integrated into writing, according to effective practice?

• A. Before drafting only.
• B. After drafts with focused prompts and revisions.
• C. With only global comments.
• D. Not at all.

Answer: (B)

Formative feedback is most effective when it informs revision during the writing process. After drafting, you receive targeted prompts and suggestions that guide what to revise, helping you strengthen the argument, support with evidence, improve organization, and refine language. Specific prompts—such as clarifying a claim, identifying where evidence is weak, rearranging a paragraph for better flow, or rewriting a sentence for clarity—give you clear, actionable steps to take on the next draft. This iterative loop of writing, feedback, and revision builds growth with each attempt. Relying on feedback before drafting misses how the ideas will actually develop in the draft, and using only global comments leaves too much vagueness about what exactly to change. Not engaging in formative feedback at all cuts off the opportunity to improve through cycles of revision. The most effective practice is timely, specific feedback that can be applied directly to the next draft.

Formative feedback is most effective when it informs revision during the writing process. After drafting, you receive targeted prompts and suggestions that guide what to revise, helping you strengthen the argument, support with evidence, improve organization, and refine language. Specific prompts—such as clarifying a claim, identifying where evidence is weak, rearranging a paragraph for better flow, or rewriting a sentence for clarity—give you clear, actionable steps to take on the next draft. This iterative loop of writing, feedback, and revision builds growth with each attempt.

Relying on feedback before drafting misses how the ideas will actually develop in the draft, and using only global comments leaves too much vagueness about what exactly to change. Not engaging in formative feedback at all cuts off the opportunity to improve through cycles of revision. The most effective practice is timely, specific feedback that can be applied directly to the next draft.