How do you revise an essay?

First, take a little time away from the piece before you return to it to revise it -- 'sleep on it' is good advice.

Then, review the assignment, to verify that you understand it. Now read your essay all the way through and evaluate whether or not your essay fills the assignment.

Finally, review every paragraph:

• Does the topical sentence introduce the details that follow?
• Are the detailed sentences appropriate for this paragraph?

Now review your essay for voice: Is the narrator always the same?

Review it for verb tense: past, present and future, and do all verb tenses make sense in the context of the essay?

As a last task, review it for spelling, punctuation and other grammar, and fix errors.

Now sleep on it again.

For your second revision, repeat the steps above and polish where necessary.

Best practices dictate that you should always turn in your very best work.