An “A”
essay:
- Answers the specific
central question that was asked
- Incorporates pertinent
and detailed information from both class discussion and assigned
readings (whenever applicable), providing needed evidence.
- Maintains focus/avoids
being sidetracked by tangents
- Presents all information
clearly and concisely and in an organized manner
- Does much more than
merely restate the question and offer a brief response
- Avoids distracting
grammar/spelling/etc. problems
A “B”
essay:
- Answers the specific
central question asked, but not as well as an “A” essay
- Incorporates some
information from class discussion and assigned readings, providing some
necessary evidence, but less thoroughly and/or relevantly than an “A”
essay
- Usually maintains focus,
but may occasionally digress from the specific topic
- Presents information
fairly clearly and concisely, and may have minor organization problems
- Does more than merely
restate the question and offer a brief response
- May contain a few
distracting grammar/spelling/etc. problems
A “C”
essay:
- Addresses the specific
central question asked in part, but does not relate directly to the
question or does not address all required elements
- Does not adequately
incorporate information from class discussion and assigned readings,
and may rely on unsupported statements or generalities
- Sometimes strays from the
specific topic (more often than a “B” essay)
- Presents information in a
manner that is sometimes unclear, and/or has significant organization
problems
- May merely restate the
question and offer a brief, undeveloped response
- May contain a few or a
significant number of distracting grammar/spelling/etc. problems
A “D”
essay:
- Does not directly answer
the specific central question asked
- Does not incorporate
information from class discussion and assigned readings, or does so
minimally and/or irrelevantly
- Substantially digresses
from the specific topic
- Has significant problems
with clarity, concision, and organization, making the information
presented difficult for the reader to understand
- May merely restate the
question and offer an irrelevant or undeveloped response
- May contain substantial
distracting grammar/spelling/etc. problems that muddle the information
presented
An “F”
essay:
- Does not answer the
specific central question in any way
- Does not incorporate
information from pertinent class discussion and/or
assigned readings
- Provides no information
that can be understood or related to the specific topic
- May lack any recognizable
organization
- May contain enough
distracting grammar/spelling/etc. problems to make it substantially
incomprehensible
Plusses
and minuses may be used for finer-grain letter
assignments.
12 May 2006