Track progress toward an essay word goal.
Tracking word count alone hides the problem that actually derails essays. Comparing word progress against section progress reveals whether your words are landing where they should: if you are 46 percent of the way to the word goal but only 40 percent through the sections, the early sections are running long and the later ones — usually the analytical ones carrying the marks — will have to be compressed. The required words-per-hour figure then tells you whether the remaining time is realistic, which is the point at which you either find more hours or accept a tighter treatment of what is left.
Progress measures
Word progress % = written / goal x 100; section progress % = complete / planned x 100
Required pace
Words per hour = (goal - written) / hours available
Because an essay can be half written and badly off track. Words ahead of sections means the introduction and background have absorbed the budget, leaving the analysis — where most marks sit — with too few words. Catching that at the halfway point is much cheaper than discovering it at the end.
Then plan for it now rather than discovering it at 2 am. Options are reducing scope by merging sections, drafting the highest-weighted sections first so the strongest content is complete, or requesting an extension. All three work better decided early.