teaching with writing - grading guide - responding & grading

teaching with writing

Grading Guide

A: This paper is outstanding and distinctive. It meets the assignment with a fresh, engaging and insightful thesis. It develops original ideas with concise and lively language. It is focused, has a clear sense of purpose and a fluid, logical organization. It is non-flagging in its address of audience; it anticipates readers' prior knowledge, questions and expectations. Paragraphs are well-developed and they show coherence, unity (both as a unit and as part of the entire essay), and complex organization. Sentences are varied and carry sophisticated ideas using appropriate techniques of coordination and subordination. Words are fresh and well chosen. The paper contains few stylistic or mechanical errors. If any are present, they aren't distracting enough to undermine the paper's power.

B: This paper, like the A paper, goes beyond typical responses to the assignment. "Beyond typical" means that the writer has chosen a promising and non-obvious topic, and has developed it insightfully with fresh and lively language. The topic is appropriate to the assignment and pitched in a way that engages the reader. The paper is well organized and developed. The writer makes a clear commitment to the reader and shows a strong sense of audience and purpose. General statements are supported, the voice is fairly steady and, for the most part, the style non-distracting. Words are well-chosen and sentences are varied. The primary things holding this paper back from an A may relate to ideas that are perhaps unevenly or inadequately developed and minor grammatical/stylistic errors that may work against the author's authority.

C: This paper covers all or most of the bases and should not be confused with a "failing" paper. Instead, this is a paper that is made typical by either a lack of interest or time on the part of its author. The C paper fails to fully engage readers--it hasn't found its "hook." This paper may focus on appropriate topics and demonstrate basic understanding of the assignment. It advances a reasonable thesis, but that thesis might not be clearly stated, or might be ineffectively located. Sections of this paper may be inadequately or unevenly developed. Relevant supporting detail is used in the paper, but the examples are not explicated fully enough. The paper may derive too much from its sources, or for other reasons may include ideas that are unoriginal or typical. The paper's organization is basically clear, but may present some gaps in logic or uniformity. The paper lacks the sharpness of focus and vivacity of insight that characterize the B and A papers. The style is readable; the paper contains few errors or misuses of grammar, mechanics, diction and/or sentence structure.

D: This is a paper that begins to meet the requirements of the assignment but is generally weak. Its thesis or viewpoint is not limited enough or, perhaps, not stated clearly enough. Alternatively, the thesis may be clearly supported, but the support offered may not be wholly accurate or relevant but in any case is insufficient. The organization may be loose and, in some places, perhaps confusing. The voice and tone may be inconsistent or somewhat inappropriate, and the style makes it difficult for the reader to understand what is being said. The sentence structure is at times awkward; the diction, vague or ambiguous; and the handling of grammar and mechanics, incorrect enough to be seriously distracting to the reader. A paper with content that is essentially derivative or shows misunderstanding, a paper that loses its focus or point of view or that is essentially vague is likely to receive the grade of D.

F: The failing paper usually has several interrelated flaws in viewpoint, content, organization, voice, tone and style, and it is the combination of flaws that renders the paper essentially ineffective. Among the most serious of these flaws are lack of a controlling viewpoint, a thesis that is unclear, lack of development or supporting detail; absence of any apparent organizational plan; a voice and tone that alienate the audience; and a style that is unreadable either because of the vagueness and imprecision or because of the magnitude of its deviations from the conventions of Edited American English. A paper whose point is difficult to decipher, a paper whose content is almost entirely derivative and shows serious misunderstanding of the subject, or a paper that does not respond directly and fully to the assignment will most likely receive a grade of F. A paper containing plagiarism will also receive a failing grade.