|
Organization |
Support |
Audience Engagement |
Language |
A+ |
Strong organization at both the essay and paragraph levels |
Strong thesis. Logical and insightful supporting points |
Engages the reader and anticipates audience questions and concerns |
Uses language carefully: subordination, coordination, parallel structure. Few if any minor errors |
A (95%) |
Strong organization at both the essay and paragraph levels |
Strong thesis. Logical supporting points |
Engages the reader and anticipates audience questions and concerns |
Language is clear, concise, and grammatically correct. |
B (85%) |
Well organized at the essay level; may have paragraph-level organizational issues |
Clear thesis. Some unclear supporting points |
Demonstrates good awareness of reader concerns |
Some unclear sentences, but overall language is clear. |
C |
Good organization at the essay level; may have paragraph-level organizational issues |
Good thesis, may have some unclear supporting points |
Demonstrates some awareness of reader concerns |
Some unclear or vague language |
D |
Lacks organization at the essay level |
No thesis. |
Demonstrates no awareness of reader concerns |
Unclear or confusing language may interfere with comprehension |
F |
Does not fulfill the requirements for the assignment. |
An essay that meets all four categories will receive the listed grade, except for F-level. An essay that meets three categories will receive the listed grade, but as a minus. Meeting two will result in the lower grade, but as a +. For example, strong organization and thesis with good support (A-level qualities), but a lack of audience awareness and some grammar issues (B-level qualities) would be a B+.
Back to Course Policies