The 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.