Having another pair of eyes look over your essay may help you to catch grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors, as well as to find any gaps in your content or identify areas that can be improved. If the critique is being done in person, the person performing the critique can talk through some of the areas of concern with the writer. This can be a valuable tool to help the writer receive a better grade on the essay than if he had simply turned it in without any outside critique.
Each time a writer's piece of writing is critiqued, she learns something new about herself as a writer. As she continues to write new pieces, the writer will need to keep in mind the items that were pointed out to her in past critiques. She will be able to focus on both the weaknesses and strengths of her writing that she has learned about through criticism. If the writer is able to have the same person critique more than one essay, she will be able to ask the person critiquing whether or not she is improving and if any new techniques being used seem to work within her writing. This will help the writer to improve her writing over time.
A good lesson for any student is to accept criticism graciously. Constructive criticism is something that a person will encounter in both college and in the workforce. A student must learn to accept constructive criticism without becoming upset or angry. Learning this lesson in college will help the student tremendously when he graduates and begins his career. Having his writing critiqued on a regular basis will expose the writer to constructive criticism and will help him to learn how to deal with it in a positive manner.
The person performing the writing critique can benefit from the critical process as well. The critical reader will learn to identify grammatical and other mistakes in writing, as well as to locate places where writing is unclear or can be improved. This can help to develop critical thinking and editing skills. As the critical reader has the opportunity to critique more writing, she will become more familiar and comfortable with the process. With experience, the critical reader will become more effective at delivering constructive criticism.