So last week was the cut off date to receive five bonus marks for handing in a draft of the final creative essay. I was going to submit a draft, until I found out that it would not be read by my tutor and no feedback would be given. I then said, ‘what’s the point?’ and continued pursuing other interests instead.

The point, apparently, is to give us an incentive to write a draft. This is perplexing to me. As university students, we are constantly being told that we have to take matters into our own hands, be responsible for ourselves, and do the work we need to in order to achieve what we want to achieve. Why then are we being persuaded to write a draft essay with the allure of five bonus marks? I always draft essays. My first draft is always completely demolished by the time I’m ready to hand it in. I believe that most other students wishing to achieve above a pass do the same thing. We are capable of pushing ourselves and getting things done, we don’t need 5 extra points for trying. Good on the students who finished a draft and handed it in. For me, working to yet another deadline, adding that pressure to my already stressful timetable just didn’t seem worth it. I write this draft, I hand it in, and I get no feedback? Great. I’d rather write it on my own time, ask my tutor how it’s going, and continue on my merry way towards week 12.