? Listen to PostThe word limit is one of the most crucial parts of the instructions for any essay or assignment. Yet, many students neglect the number of words they need to write and write more or fewer words than needed. Most learners do not feel when they can exceed the word limit and when they cannot. But it’s easier than it first appears.

Today, two of our experts, Leticia Adamson and Sylvia Roberts, will help you with this issue. Leticia Adamson is a Ph.D. in English Literature and head of the ESL program at CustomWritings. Sylvia Roberts has an M.D. in Nursing and is an assistant in the Healthcare and Life Science Department at CustomWritings.

Q: Welcome to our debate today on whether exceeding the word limit in essays and assignments is terrible. 

Leticia: Hello!

Sylvia: Hi, everyone! Thank you for inviting us!

Q: Thank you as well! Let’s start with the first question. Why is going over the word limit considered a disadvantage, and what happens if you go over the word limit on university essay?

Leticia: Let us first define the concept of “What is a word limit.” In fact, it is a mandatory requirement for fulfillment, it is not a random number that can be ignored. Each student should read a lot of books to enrich their personal vocabulary. It helps them to express their thoughts while also staying within the word limit for the assignment. Going over the word limit can be a drawback because it indicates that the student has not fully understood the assignment or cannot express their ideas concisely. It can also result in the student including irrelevant information, which can detract from the essay’s overall quality.

Sylvia: Sure, all students need to read a lot, but developing great ideas can be possible without it. Students with limited vocabularies can also express their thoughts. While exceeding the word limit can be a weakness in some instances, it is not always the case. Sometimes, the students may have vital information that they need to include to address the topic entirely. It is important to remember that the focus should be on the quality of the writing rather than the word count. However, exceeding the maximum word limit is always wrong when writing college essays.

Leticia: One of the most frequent questions students ask themselves and their teachers is “Can you go over the word limit for a university essay?” However, one of the primary reasons why college professors set a word limit is to ensure that students can express their ideas effectively. This is the primary skill involved in essay writing, and it requires a strong understanding of the topic and the ability to organize one’s thoughts in a clear and concise manner. Students who struggle to stay within the word limit may lack these capacities, which can harm their academic success.



In addition to the academic disadvantages of going over the word limit, there are also penalties that students may face. These penalties can vary depending on the instructor and the assignment.
Some instructors may deduct points from the essay, while others may refuse to grade the essay at all. Students must adhere to the word limit to avoid these penalties. The essay word limit is set for a reason. Students must learn to respect the teacher’s instructions and try to follow them to the best of their ability.
For example, professors always specify the length of a given coursework for BASC-coded modules regarding the word count or the number of pages. They also place limits on the maximum size of submitted coursework, and if the text exceeds that limit by more than 10%, the instructor reduces the mark by five percentage points. This is how not following the word limit can cost a student a good grade and affect their overall performance. I urge you to take the question “How many words over the limit is acceptable?” seriously and not ask it your professor every time you write a paper. Exceeding word limit is the exception rather than the rule.

Sylvia: Yet, there are situations where going over the word limit may be acceptable. For example, in scientific writing, the instructions might require you to include detailed descriptions. They may also need you to add data to address the topic. Research has shown that the quality of academic-level writing is more important than the word count, as it determines the essay’s effectiveness (though only for graduate students). Students can also communicate with their professor regarding the word count. If they feel that they need to write more to fulfill the instructions, they can discuss it.