Grade fixing has become a popular service offered by many essay writing companies, where they claim to be able to help improve students’ grades on assignments. While tempting, there are serious ethical issues with grade fixing that students should consider. This article will explore what grade fixing involves, the arguments for and against it, and provide an objective review of this controversial service.
What is grade fixing? Companies that offer grade fixing services claim they have writers and editors who can review a student’s essay and provide feedback and suggestions to strengthen key areas like thesis statements, topic sentence clarity, analysis depth, evidence use, formatting, and more. The goal is to help boost the essay grade without substantially changing the original content or ideas. This is typically done through targeted line edits, restructuring weak paragraphs, strengthening topic sentences, adding more analysis and evidence to support points, tightening introductions/conclusions, and ensuring proper formatting is followed.
Supporters argue that grade fixing simply helps students learn to self-edit and improve their work through feedback, enabling them to get better grades that reflect their full abilities. They say weak writing is often due to a lack of editing experience, not underlying knowledge or effort. By highlighting areas for revision, students can learn and score higher on future assignments through their own efforts. Another argument is that students are still doing the bulk of the intellectual work in crafting the initial ideas and content. Grade fixers only provide editing guidance, not write the paper for them.
Critics have several concerns with grade fixing. First, it undermines the integrity and purpose of academic assessments. Essay assignments are intended to evaluate students’ individual writing, research, and analytical skills – not how well they can outsource editing. Even minor editing assistance could inflate grades beyond a student’s true abilities. There are also concerns about potential plagiarism if writers directly edit or rewrite content without the student’s full involvement and understanding. Overall, it gives students an unfair academic advantage over peers completing assignments independently.
Some also argue the learning experience is diminished. Getting significant editorial support removes opportunities for students to learn through the revision process on their own. Weaknesses may not get fully addressed if fixers do too much of the work. Over-reliance on grade fixers could negatively impact students’ long-term writing development. Additionally, schools often have strict academic integrity policies against receiving substantial outside assistance on graded work without disclosure. Undisclosed grade fixing could be considered a form of academic dishonesty.
Given these downsides, should students use grade fixing services at all? A balanced perspective is that limited, properly disclosed use may have some benefits in moderation. For example, asking a grade fixer to proofread one’s essay just for errors or clarity improvements could help with formatting issues without inflating the substantive evaluation. Students should avoid relying on fixers for major structural changes or not understanding why edits were made. Full disclosure to professors of any assistance received is also advisable. Overall though, students are generally better served by taking full ownership of assignments and using school writing resources for guidance versus outsourcing significant editorial work.
When assessing grade fixer companies and reviews, students should be wary of vague or exaggerated claims about grade boosting abilities. Reputable services will clearly outline the limited scope and type of support provided. Look for transparency on whether writers directly edit content versus just giving feedback, and clarity on how extensive involvement can be without risking academic integrity issues. Request and check samples of past client work with professors’ grades and feedback to evaluate editing quality. Beware services without transparency, portfolios, or positive reviews from verified past users. With discernment, limited proofreading help from grade fixers could provide value, but outsourcing major parts of the writing/editing risks undercutting the learning process. Students are best served by treating such services judiciously and at their own discretion in consultation with academic integrity policies.
While grade fixing may seem like an easy way to boost results, there are valid ethical concerns with substantially relying on outsourcing the evaluation of one’s own written work and research. Significant editorial assistance could inflate grades beyond a student’s actual abilities and remove opportunities to learn through independent revision. Limited proofreading may have some benefits in moderation if openly disclosed, but students are generally better off taking ownership of assignments and using on-campus resources for writing support versus outsourcing substantial editorial work. An objective assessment of any grade fixing services should examine transparency, the level and type of assistance provided, impact on learning experience and academic integrity, and avoid places that overstate grade boosting abilities without merit. With discernment, grade fixing could offer value in moderation, but caution is advised given risks of undermining skills development or running afoul of academic standards.
Andrew Stroud