8 A controlling thesis is clearly stated and supported by relevant details.
Ideas are solid, original, thought provoking.
Although the thesis is clearly stated and, for the most part, supported by relevant details, the ideas are not as complex. The thesis is too general and is not fully developed. Examples are inadequate or irrelevant, or they are not unified by a controlling thesis. 2 Thesis is hard to make out or makes no sense at all. Appropriate transitions maintain a clear and consistent relationship among the parts of the essay, and the whole is unified.