A
An
A paper is exceptional work that more than
fulfills the requirements of the assignment.
This essay tackles the topic in an innovative
way, with a clear sense of audience and purpose,
an insightful thesis, and an appropriate and
effective organization. The structure is
carefully planned; each section of the essay
develops the thesis with logical arguments and
specific, conclusive evidence which has been
interpreted and clearly related to the writer's
point. The style is energetic and precise: the
sentence structure is varied and the words are
carefully chosen. How the writer says
things is as excellent as what the writer
says. There is evidence of careful editing since
the essay contains few grammatical and/or
mechanical errors and, if necessary, is
correctly documented using MLA format.
B
A
B paper is clearly above-average and more
than meets the requirements of the assignment.
Like the "A" paper, it has a clear thesis and
organizational strategy; and each paragraph
provides unified, coherent, and developed
support for its thesis and subordinate
assertions. If necessary, it properly documents
sources. While the essay takes some "risks,"
attempts complex strategies of development, and
pays attention to audience, it falls short of
the "A" essay in one or more of the following
ways: the thesis may not be as interesting or
insightful; there may be weaknesses in
organizational strategy or its execution; the
support may not be uniformly conclusive and
convincing; and the style may not be as
energetic or the diction as thoughtful. The
essay shows strong evidence of editing since
there are relatively few grammatical and/or
mechanical errors.
C
A C paper is average work that solidly
meets the requirements of the assignment. The
essay has a thesis and organizational plan which
demonstrate thought on the writer's part, a
generally clear style, an awareness of audience,
and adequate documentation, if required.
Paragraphs contribute unified and coherent
support, but the writer may have difficulty with
any of the following: the thesis may be too
general; the evidence may be predictable, may
not be thoroughly interpreted, or may not be
clearly related to the writer's point; the
paragraphs may be uneven in development and
transition. Even in the "C" essay, there should
be relatively few grammatical or mechanical
errors--not enough to interfere with
readability; the student has done some editing,
even though it may be superficial.
D
A D paper is below average work that
demonstrates a serious attempt to fulfill the
assignment and shows some promise but does not
fully meet the requirements of the assignment.
The essay may have one or several of the
following weaknesses. It may have a general or
implied thesis; but the idea may be too broad,
vague, or obvious. Awareness of audience may
not be evident. The organizational plan may be
inappropriate or inconsistently carried out.
Evidence may be too general, missing, not
interpreted, irrelevant to the thesis, or
inappropriately repetitive. Documentation may
be incomplete or inaccurate. The style may be
compromised by repetitive or flawed sentence
patterns and/or inappropriate diction and
confusing syntax. Grammatical and mechanical
errors may interfere with readability and
indicate a less-than-adequate attempt at editing
or unfamiliarity with some aspects of Standard
Written English.
F
An F paper is substantially below average
for the assignment. It exhibits one or
several of the following. It may be off-topic.
It may be an attempt to meet the requirements of
the assignment, but it may have no apparent
thesis or a self-contradictory one, or the
essay's point is so general or obvious as to
suggest little thinking-through of the topic.
It may display little or no apparent sense of
organization; it may lack development; evidence
may be inappropriate and/or off-topic or may
consist of generalizations, faulty assumptions,
or errors of fact; it may display little or no
awareness of audience. This essay may fail to
handle borrowed material responsibly and/or to
document appropriately. The style suggests
serious difficulties with fluency which may be
revealed in short, simple sentences and
ineffective diction. Grammatical/mechanical
errors may interfere with reader comprehension
or indicate problems with basic literacy or a
lack of understanding of Standard English
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