GRADING CRITERIA FOR WRITING 122 ESSAYS Grade Range => Include “plus” and “minus” grades F (0-5 points/0-59%) D (6 points/60-69%) C (7 points/70-79%) B (8 points/80-89%) A (9-10 Description of the Required Writing Skill Demonstrated (Read Down) Description of Performance in this skill (Read across) Doesn’t Meet Assignment Expectations for a 122 essay Back to the drawing board! Marginally Developing toward 122 expectations; Needs Improvement in this area. Needs some real attention and work! Beginning to meet expectations. Satisfies Requirements for this 122 essay but there is room for growth. A genuinely good beginning! Accomplished; meets expectations for a 122 essay. A job well done! Exemplary; exceeds expectations for a 122 essay. Excellent work in this area! BELOW ARE IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS FOR ASSIGNMENT COMPLETION Paper follows instructions, fulfills the assignment. Your paper does not fulfill the assignment: it may be too short, too long, or not relevant to the assigned question. Your paper barely fulfills the requirements of the assignment: it may be too short, too long, or not quite relevant. It may use inadequate sources or rhetorical strategies. Your paper fulfills the requirements of the assignment according to size, relevance, source materials and rhetorical strategies. Your paper fulfills the requirements of the assignment according to size, relevance, source materials and rhetorical strategies. Fully developed, highly relevant, successful use of source materials and accomplished use of rhetorical strategies. Your paper more than fulfills the requirements of the assignment according to size, relevance, source materials and rhetorical strategies. Highly developed, relevant and inventive, successful use of source materials and accomplished use of rhetorical strategies. Paper makes use of materials learned in the course when No evidence that the writer has read or is using the course materials to produce Little evidence that the writer has read or is using the course materials to produce Some evidence that the writer has read or is using the course materials to Clear evidence that the writer has read or is using the course materials to produce the essay—skills of Strong evidence that the writer has read or is using the course materials to
English, or else because you are not clear about what you yourself are writing about. The essay is an unacceptable response to the goals of the assignment. and a general struggle with English, or else because you are not clear about what you yourself are writing about. The instructor finds many holes in your argument and is therefore not persuaded. logical relationships, but your essay may rely on overly broad generalizations or else be too narrowly framed. There is a sense from your use of language that you are still working out your own thinking. Your use of evidence could use some improvement, although there is an attempt to use it to support your points. Paper addresses issues of purpose and audience The purpose of your essay is unclear. There is not a sense that you are attempting to communicate with your target audience: your prose may be too informal or casual. The reader has no sense that you are communicating with a college audience: sometimes your essay reads like notes, or like a casual conversation or like bullet points. There may occasionally be The purpose of your essay is usually unclear, or shows major gaps in clarity. We are not quite sure what your purpose is. You try to get through to your audience, although your tone is too informal or to mechanical to succeed. Some of your prose may include profane language. There is no evidence that you are attempting to The purpose of your essay is usually clear, with some gaps, and sometimes we are not quite sure when you are informing, entertaining or persuading us. You try to get through to your audience, although your tone may be too informal or to mechanical to succeed. You may lose the sense that The purpose of your essay is clear, whether it is to inform, entertain or persuade. You communicate well with your audience and create an effective and persuasive essay. You show a consciousness of your target audience, and present an appropriate tone and formality for a college audience You anticipate the reactions that your reader may have to what you say, and you address these in an appropriate voice. The purpose of your essay is always clear, whether it is to inform, entertain, persuade or a creative combination. You really get through to your audience and create a powerful and persuasive essay. You effectively communicate with your target audience, using a confident voice with just the right tone of
too much appeal to emotion, or free association, or irrelevant information; the effect is to turn off your target audience. You do not make any attempt to anticipate the reactions that your reader may have to what you say. persuade a college audience: your essay reads like notes, or a casual conversation or like bullet points. There may occasionally be too much appeal to emotion, or free association, or irrelevant information; the effect is to turn off your target audience. You neglact entirely to anticipate the reactions that your reader may have to what you say. you are communicating with a particular college audience: sometimes your essay reads like notes, or like a casual conversation or like bullet points. There may occasionally be too much appeal to emotion, or free association, or irrelevant information; the effect is to turn off your target audience. You may often forget to anticipate the reactions that your reader may have to what you say. formality for a college audience You anticipate the reactions that your reader may have to what you say, and you deftly address these in your rhetorical choices of tone and voice. Paper demonstrates critical thinking and reading skills. You choose unreliable and/or inadequate sources for your purpose. The sources you do have are ineffectively integrated into your own writing: there is a patchwork quality to your essay, with sources cut and pasted into what you write without making the connections clear. You choose unreliable sources that are not adequate to your purpose, or you use reliable sources ineffectively. You do not effectively integrate what you have learned into your own thinking. There may be a patchwork quality of sources simply cut You choose some reliable sources, but you may also use unreliable or biased source materials, or your sources may not all be adequate to your purpose. Overall you use your sources with general relevance, but there may be some uneven You choose reliable sources that are adequate to your purpose, and you use them effectively, integrating what you have learned into your own thinking. You apply accepted criteria to the issue at hand in making evaluations, and draw reasonable conclusions. Your essay demonstrates sound reasoning: you show that you understand You choose reliable sources that are adequate to your purpose, and you use them effectively, integrating what you have learned into your own thinking. You apply accepted criteria to the issue at hand in making evaluations, and draw
You apply invalid or irrelevant criteria to the issue at hand, or you don’t use any criteria for making judgements or evaluations. Your conclusions are unclear or unreasonable. Your essay fails to demonstrate sound reasoning. You do not demonstrate a clear understanding of the difference between valid and invalid evidence and argument. You fall prey to biases and fallacies rather than contest them. You do not draw valid conclusions based on your reading. The reader feels unconvinced or unpersuaded, and may even feel bored. and pasted into what you write. Your attempts to apply accepted criteria to the issue at hand don’t work and are unpersuasive. When making evaluations you do not draw reasonable or clear conclusions. Your essay fails to clearly demonstrate sound reasoning: it’s not always clear that you understand the difference between valid and invalid evidence and argument. You fall prey to biases and fallacies rather than contest them. You do not draw valid conclusions based on your reading. The reader feels unconvinced or unpersuaded, and may even feel bored. effectiveness. You try to integrate what you have learned into your own thinking, but this integration may be clunky or incomplete or rudimentary. You make an attempt to apply accepted criteria to the issue at hand in making evaluations, and you try to draw reasonable conclusions, but there may be some shaky reasoning in your essay. Overally, your essay demonstrates sound reasoning, however, even if it’s not always smoothly written. With some exceptions, you show that you understand the difference between valid and invalid evidence and argument, and you try to point out biases and fallacies, although you may do so in an the difference between valid and invalid evidence and argument, and you demonstrate biases and fallacies. Based on your reading, you draw thoughtful, valid, and convincing conclusions. The instructor may feel that these conclusions are familiar, but you present them in an interesting way. reasonable and insightful conclusions. Your essay demonstrates sound reasoning: you show that you understand the difference between valid and invalid evidence and argument, and you convincingly point out biases and fallacies in a subtle and sophisticated way. Based on your reading, you draw thoughtful, valid, convincing and interesting conclusions. The instructor feels that she has learned something significant.
awkward way. Based on your reading, you draw relevant, if familiar, conclusions. The instructor feels that she has read many different versions of this same argument before, and it may feel tired or cliché. But it is nevertheless a coherent argument essay that draws on and integrates source material. Paper exercises methods of development and support. Your essay shows little development of your thesis or claim based on an evaluation and synthesis of primary and secondary sources. Either your thesis is weak or your thesis is not supported. The development is weak and unconvincing. You make few attempts to develop and support your thesis by presenting evidence; there may be some bias, imbalance or incomplete Your essay shows some development of your thesis or claim based on an evaluation and synthesis of primary and secondary sources. However, the development is either strong places and some weak ones—or else it is a little cursory and unconvincing throughout. You attempt to develop and support your thesis by presenting You have developed a strong thesis or claim based on a thorough evaluation and clear synthesis of primary and secondary sources. You have developed and supported your thesis with a balanced presentation of evidence. When called for, you have correctly used paraphrase, summary and quotations to support your points. You make it clear to your reader which ideas are your own and which are the ideas of others; the result is a convincing conversation with relevant points of view. You have developed a strong and original thesis or claim based on a thorough evaluation and clear synthesis of primary and secondary sources. You have thoroughly developed and supported your thesis with a balanced and insightful presentation of evidence. When called for, you have effectively and correctly used paraphrase, summary and
presentation in evidence. When called for, you have not used paraphrase, summary and quotations to support your points adequately. Your citations are not always correct, and your style of handling source materials brings some ambiguity: It may take a careful reader to discern which ideas are your own and which are the ideas of others. No clear plagiarism is apparent, however. evidence, but there may be some bias or imbalance or incomplete presentation. When called for, you have used paraphrase, summary and quotations to support your points. Although your citations are correct, your style of handling source materials brings some ambiguity: It may take a careful reader to discern which ideas are your own and which are the ideas of others. quotations to support your points. You make it clear to your reader which ideas are your own and which are the ideas of others; the result is a sophisticated and persuasive conversation with relevant points of view. Paper demonstrates successful integration of Your essay reflects little understanding of the most important points of view around Your essay reflects some understanding of some of the important points of Your essay reflects a broad understanding of some of the Your essay reflects a broad understanding of the most important points of view around your topic. You Your essay reflects a broad understanding of all key points of view