Summary of Composition Grading Standards

 

	The A (exceptional) essay meets or exceeds all of the requirements of the assignment and exhibits the following strengths:	The B (good) essay fulfills all of the requirements of the assignment and exhibits the following characteristics:	The C (competent) essay meets the minimum requirements of the assignment and exhibits some of the following characteristics:	The D (weak) essay exhibits some of the following characteristics:	The F (unacceptable) essay exhibits some of the following weaknesses:
Content and Development	Essay effectively meets the needs of the rhetorical situation.  Topic is focused.  Claims are fully supported.	Essay meets the needs of the rhetorical situation.  Topic is focused.  Claims are supported.	Essay is generally purposeful, but it may be predictable.  Topic may only be generally defined.  Supporting evidence is often obvious.	Essay attempts to follow assignment but demonstrates little rhetorical awareness.  Topic may be ill-defined or unfocused.  Evidence may be misinterpreted.	Essay may not follow the assignment.  Essay may have no clear purpose or direction.
Organization	Introduction captures the readers’ attention.  Main body paragraphs flow smoothly.  Conclusion leaves a lasting impression.	Introduction captures the readers’ attention.  Paragraph divisions are logical.  Conclusion brings the paper to a graceful close.	Introduction may not hook readers.  Paragraphs are divided logically, but transitions may be mechanical.  Conclusion may be redundant.	Introduction may not be functional.  Paragraphs may be undeveloped or arranged randomly.  Paper may come to an abrupt end.	Paper may be too disorganized to follow.
Style	Author’s voice is distinctive and appropriate.  Diction is thoughtful.	Prose is clear and readable.  Diction is precise.	Expression is competent.  Word choice is technically correct.	There may be lapses in clarity.  Vocabulary may be inappropriate for college-level writing.	Paper may be unclear.  Vocabulary may be offensive to intended audience.
Mechanics	Paper is free from errors that undermine the overall effectiveness.	There are almost no major sentence-level errors, stigmatized errors, or patterns of error.	There are weaknesses in punctuation, spelling, and usage, but paper is generally free of stigmatized errors.	Paper may be marked by sentence-level errors, stigmatized errors, or patterns of error.	Paper may be plagued with errors in spelling, usage, and punctuation.
Research and Documentation (if applicable)	Paraphrases and quotations are carefully woven into the text.  Sources are cited in the prescribed format.	Paraphrases and quotations are well-integrated.  Paper is documented in the prescribed format.	Prescribed number of sources is used, but paraphrases and quotations may appear to have been pasted into text arbitrarily.  There may be minor errors in documentation.	Sections of the paper may be little more than “data dumps,” quotations strung together without explanation.  Paper may not use as many sources as required.  Sources may not be fully cited.	Paper may not use any sources, despite requirements in the assignment.  Paper may be intentionally or unintentionally plagiarized.