| |
A Outstanding |
B Good |
C Satisfactory |
D/F Unsatisfactory |
| Audience |
The writing reflects superior audience awareness.
It actively engages its reader and makes a clear point that is supported
with excellent reasoning, evidence, and detail emerging from appropriate
research. It also provokes the reader to reflect on the topic’s subtleties
and complexities. |
The writing reflects solid audience awareness.
It attempts to engage the reader and support its central point with sufficient
evidence. The writing demonstrates a working understanding of the topic’s
complexities, and reasons through an original insight without flaws in
logic. |
The paper shows minimal audience awareness
and establishes basic credibility, giving some evidence and detail to support
a point. The writing offers some elements of insight and thoughtfulness
about the subject matter. |
The writing ignores the needs of the audience,
offering insufficient evidence, irrelevant evidence, or details, or illogical,
flawed reasoning to support its assertion. The writing offers little or
no insight for thought about the subject matter. |
| Thesis & Support |
The writing has a critically reasoned, original
thesis that is strategically placed and substantiated through reliable,
relevant, and sufficient evidence. |
The writing has a clear, good thesis with
sufficient, reliable evidence and sound reasoning. |
The writing has a thesis and some relevant
support. |
The thesis is tangential, disordered, or not
discernible, and the writing has weak or non-existent support. |
| Organization |
The writing is organized seamlessly to elucidate
the thesis. The organi-zation reflects the logic and analysis necessary
to support the thesis. The introduction, conclusion, transitions, and other
organizational strategies are clear and strong; paragraphs are fully developed. |
The writing is organized so that ideas are
connected fluidly and sensibly. The introduction and conclusion are solid;
transitions are used, but could be stronger. Some minor gaps in logic and
argument appear. Paragraphs are well-developed, focused, and positioned. |
The writing has a basic structure, organization,
and transitions, and the ideas are ordered and linked. Paragraphs, including
the introduction and conclu-sion, are focused but might require more development. |
The paper’s organization is difficult
to discern. The parts of the paper—including the introduction and
conclusion—do not
work together towards a unified whole. Paragraphs are underdeveloped or
lack focus or cohesion. Transitions are awkward or missing. |
| Style |
The writer’s voice engages the reader through
a sophisticated control of prose. The language reflects and develops the
thesis. Similarly, quota-tions are effectively integrated into the text.
The language is concise and precise. |
The writing keeps the readers’s attention
through deliberate but not contrived choices in prose. Sentences are clear;
quotations are usually well-integrated into the prose. The language is
concise and precise. |
The writing has consis-tency in tone, language,
and support. The prose is adequate and, despite some awkwardness and clutter,
communicates clearly. There may be some wordiness. |
The writing has weak or confusing diction
and syntax and has excessive or inappropriate use of quotations. The language
needs tightening. |
| Response to Assignment |
The writing takes an original and thought-provoking
approach to the assignment. |
The writing has a clear purpose beyond the
mini-mum requirements of the assignment.. |
The writing has some sense of purpose and
meets the minimum requirements of the assignment. |
The writing does not fulfill the minimum require-ments
of the assignment. |
| Grammar & Form |
The writing has virtually no grammatical or
mechanical errors. Sources are appropri-ately documented and cited. |
The writing has few gram-matical and/or mechanical
errors, and they do not distract the reader from the content. Sources are
appropriately documented and cited. |
The writing has gram-matical and mechanical
awareness, but the writer has not proofread carefully. Some errors distract
the reader from the content. Sources are documented and cited. |
The writing has substantial grammatical and/or
mech-anical errors that distract the reader from the con-tent. Sources
are inappro-priately documented and cited. |
