Mate's essay is far from great (6)
I believe the answer is:
paltry
'far from great' is the definition.
'mate's essay' is the wordplay.
'mate' becomes 'pal' (I've seen this before).
'essay' becomes 'try' (synonyms).
'pal'+'try'='PALTRY'
'is' is the link.
(Other definitions for paltry that I've seen before include "Mean, petty" , "Measly, trifling" , "Mean - trifling" , "Petty - trifling" , "Trivial, comtemptible" .)