Depends on what your goals are. If I wanted to write a good essay, I certainly wouldn't slavishly obey the rules. If I want to get an A, obeying the rules was

Depends on what your goals are. If I wanted to write a good essay, I certainly wouldn't slavishly obey the rules. If I want to get an A, obeying the rules was absolutely perfect and worked every time. If I also managed a good essay at the same time, that was a bonus. School was never about writing good essays. It was about learning the rules and proving you could follow them.