Grade

Narrative descriptions of evaluation criteria

Fundamentally, essays earning an “A” do two things: they provide an idea which is truly new;and they provide an intellectually pleasant experience. The title and introductory paragraph of an “A” essay clearly introduce the topic. Each of the succeeding paragraphs clearly imply or explicitly state one main idea that is directly related to the focus of the essay. The “body” paragraphs are organized so that the ideas presented in them interact in a meaningful and comprehensive manner—later ideas build on earlier ideas. Most of the paragraphs employ effective transition words and phrases. One or two of the paragraphs may be characterized entirely as summary or paraphrase; however, paragraphs of summary and paraphrase, when they appear, are concise and selective. The majority of paragraphs express the ideas, explanations, and carefully supported opinions of the author. It is clear that the author has thought seriously about the topic and is making an effort to appeal to an audience with less knowledge or different opinions and ideas than the author. Of course, all “A” essays have been carefully proofread and contain almost no errors of grammar, punctuation, or spelling and certainly no pattern of errors. Sentence structures and word choices vary significantly and both are used with conscious precision. Finally, “A” essays conform to the format and documentation style of the MLA.

The focus of the essay is original and complex—the essay either focuses on one idea that is strikingly unusual or puts ideas that may be thought of as ordinary into a new and unusual relationship. The title and introductory paragraph clearly introduce the topic. Each of the succeeding paragraphs imply or state one main idea, though some paragraphs may not interact precisely with surrounding paragraphs. At least some of the paragraphs effectively employ transition words and phrases. One of the paragraphs may be summary or paraphrase. Most of the paragraphs express the ideas, explanations, and supported opinions of the author. The author has clearly attempted to make various appeals to an audience with less knowledge or different opinions and ideas than the author. Essays earning a “B” have been carefully proofread and contain few errors of grammar, punctuation, or spelling. There may be a repetition of one error, indicating a pattern. Sentence structures and word choices demonstrate a skill for writing with pleasant variety, and the vocabulary is usually precise. Finally, “B” essays conform for the most part to the format and documentation style of the MLA.

The focus of the entire essay is clear early—usually by employing an explicit thesis statement in the introduction. The focus may be mundane, or on the other extreme, may be unnecessarily complicated. Each of the “body” paragraphs are organized around one main idea and most of those ideas are related in some way to the focus of the essay. Some of the body paragraphs may focus on broad summary or paraphrase that isn’t clearly related to the focus of the essay. Most of the paragraphs express the ideas, explanations, and supported opinions of the author. The appeals of the essay may be unclear, but the author “reaches out” in some way to a potential audience. The essay may have more than one pattern of errors, but they are generally well proofread. The sentence structures and word choices are usually plain and straightforward. The papers demonstrate a clear intent to conform to the documentation style of the MLA.

Essays earning a “D” have been written in an earnest attempt to complete the assignment. There is usually a serious deficiency in one key area of the essay, or a series of several deficiencies that warrant a grade below passing. The essays may lack a clear focus, have no sense of planned and coordinated paragraph succession, be difficult to read because of incorrect and awkward sentence constructions and word choices, or use a sustained inappropriately informal tone characterized by slang and clichés.

An “E” is reserved for an essay characterized by one of the following: it has been plagiarized in whole or in part; it is purposefully disrespectful to myself or others; it has not been turned in or is incomplete!