Mistakes to avoid in high school writing?

Hey everyone, I have a habit of making silly mistakes in my essays, and it's sort of stressful. Anyone knows what the most common mistakes students make in high school writing?

High school students commonly make several mistakes in their essays.

1. Not proofreading: This is the most common mistake. After writing an essay, ensure you go through it again to catch any spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors. It's often helpful to read it out loud, which can make certain errors like awkward phrasing more noticeable.

2. Not having a clear thesis: Every essay should have a clear, concise thesis statement that directly answers the essay prompt or question. This should be in your introduction and every following paragraph should support this thesis.

3. Using casual language: In academic writing, it's important to maintain a professional and formal tone. Avoid slang or overly casual language.

4. Lack of structure: Essays should have a clear and logical structure - an introduction, body, and conclusion. Each paragraph should have a main point and all points should support your thesis.

5. Plagiarism: This goes without saying, but the work you submit should be your own. If you use someone else's words or ideas, you should properly cite the source.

6. Not providing evidence: When making claims or arguments, you should always provide evidence to back them up. This could be in the form of quotes, statistics, or examples.

So, next time you write an essay, try to keep these points in mind. Also, it may be beneficial to have someone else proofread your work as they might catch mistakes that you've missed. Happy writing!