| Dr. Heather Hill-Vásquez, Department of English, University of Detroit Mercy |
Grading Rubric for Essays
| - - - ARGUMENT - - - |
|---|
| Strong (A/B) | Acceptable (B/C) | Weak (C/D) |
Failing (D/F)
|
|---|---|---|---|
___argument is clearly expressed and responds appropriately to assignment
|
___argument is clearly expressed and responds appropriately to assignment
|
___argument is not clear and/or does not respond appropriately to assignment
|
___argument is not clear and/or does not respond appropriately to assignment
|
| ___argument has focus, direction, and purpose | ___argument has focus, direction, and purpose | __argument has focus (and possibly direction), but lack purpose | __argument consists of one or more mere observations or statements |
__argument is original, unique, remarkable; argument demonstrates thoughtfulness and energy |
__argument is not particularly original, unique, or remarkable; argument does demonstrate some thought and energy | __argument clearly lacks originality, thoughtfulness, and energy | __argument clearly lacks originality, thoughtfulness, and energy |
| - - - ANALYSIS - - - |
|---|
| Strong (A/B) | Acceptable (B/C) | Weak (C/D) |
Failing (D/F)
|
|---|---|---|---|
| __paper is not limited to mere observations, statements, and/or comparisons | __paper is not limited to mere observations, statements, and/or comparisons | __paper consists of mostly mere observations, statements, and/or comparisons | __paper consists of mostly (or completely) mere observations, statements, and/or comparisons |
| __body paragraphs express clear main ideas, concrete and specific evidence, and express the meaning of this evidence (analysis) | __body paragraphs express clear main ideas, concrete and specific evidence, and express the meaning of this evidence (analysis) |
__paper lacks a regular pattern of analysis; body pargraphs may contain main ideas, but the evidence provided is overly general; in addition, these main ideas are often not analyzed (meaning and significance are not expressed) |
__paper offers no concrete evidence; ideas are too general; little, if any, attempt has been made to engage in the process of analysis (the expression of significance and meaning) |
__analysis demonstrates creativity and deep thought
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__occasionally unsupported general statements that lack analysis (the expression of their meaning) do not overtly disrupt the coherency of the
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__analysis is generally sufficient but may lack creativity; analysis needs to be pushed further and made more thought-provoking
|
| - - - ASSIGNMENT REQUIREMENTS- - - |
|---|
| Strong (A/B) | Acceptable (B/C) | Weak (C/D) |
Failing (D/F)
|
|---|
| __paper follows the assignment requirements and effectively addresses some of the toughest and most thought-provoking questions and issues raised by the instructor, in class discussions, and/or assignments |
__paper follows the |
__paper basically follows the assignment requirements, but lack a significant depth of thought and energy; questions and issues raised are not addressed fully
|
__paper does not follow the assignment requirements; paper demonstrates little effort, energy, or thought; questions and issues raised are inappropriate to the assignment or given insufficient attention |
| - - - ORGANIZATION- - - |
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| Strong (A/B) | Acceptable (B/C) |
Weak/Failing (C/D/F)
|
|---|---|---|
| __each point of analysis raised in the paper clearly relates to and helps support the argument |
__each point of analysis raised in the paper clearly relates to and helps to support the argument
|
__the observations of the paper tend to be listed rather than organized; often this is a symptom of a problem with the argument and a general lack of analysis, since the framing of the paper (the direction of the argument) has not provided a path for the ideas, evidence, and analysis to follow
|
| __within body paragraphs, sentences flow coherently and clearly connect to one another in support of the main point of the paragraph | __within body paragraphs, sentences usually flow coherently and clearly connect to one another in support of the main point of the paragraph |
__within body paragraphs, sentences (often) do not flow coherently and/or do not clearly connect to one another |
| __carefully used transitions demonstrate why and how paragraphs proceed in the order in which they do | __transitions, for the most part, demonstrate why and how paragraphs proceed in the order in which they do | __transitions between and within paragraphs do not appear, are used ineffectively, and/or incorrectly |
| __transitional phrases are used correctly and effectively within paragraphs |
__transitional phrases are used correctly and effectively within paragraphs |
__several paragraphs and/or ideas do not relate to the argument (if a clear argument is present) |
| - - - GRAMMAR / MECHANICS / STYLE - - - |
|---|
| Please note that you should address the issues in this category only after you address the issued associated with the other categories. |
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| Strong (A/B) | Acceptable (B/C) | Weak (C/D) |
Failing (D/F)
|
|---|---|---|---|
| __paper contains none or very few usage, spelling, punctuation, or typographical errors |
__occasional errors in syntax, grammar, pronoun reference, spelling, and punctuation are present, but they do not disrupt the flow of ideas |
__multiple errors in syntax, agreement, pronoun reference, spelling, and/or punctuation, etc. disrupt the flow of ideas |
__consistent and glaring mechanical grammatical errors |
| __paper abides by all Format Requirements |
__paper abides by all Format Requirements |
__paper abides by all Format Requirements |
__paper does not abide by all Format Requirements |
| __sentence fragements and comma splices rarely, if ever, occur (unless used knowingly and carefully for creative effect) |
__one or two sentence fragments and/or comma splices are not overly disruptive |
__frequent typographical errors, sentence fragnments, and/or comma splices |
__sentence fragments, comma splices, incorrect word choice, and/or typographical errors dominate |
| __typographical errors are minimal |
__word choice confused |
__several paragraphs and/or ideas do not relate to the argument (if a clear argument is present) |
| - - - USE OF OUTSIDE SOURCES- - - |
|---|
Strong (A/B) |
Acceptable (B/C) | Weak (C/D) | Failing (D/F) |
|---|---|---|---|
| __outside sources used carefully to support writer's own ideas and analysis; writer's ideas and analysis are the main focus of the paper |
__most outside sources are used carefully to support writer's own ideas and analysis; writer's ideas and analysis remain, for the most part, the main focus of the paper |
__outside sources have more of a presence in the paper than the writer's own ideas and analysis |
__outside sources dominate the paper; writer's own ideas and analysis very limited |
| __outside sources are clearly relevant to the writer's argument and line of analysis |
__relevance of outside sources to the writer's argument and line of analysis is mostly clear thoughout the paper; one or two sources may not seem to really fit in the paper |
__relevance of outside sources is not clear; writer's own argument and line of analysis is hidden or missing; sources seem selected at random |
__relevance of outside sources is not clear; writer's own argument and line of analysis is missing; sources seem selected at random |
| __writer integrates sources smoothly into the paper; e.g., there are no quotes and/or references merely "dropped" into the paper |
__integration of sources is mostly smooth; one or two quotes and/or references may seem "dropped" into the paper |
__most quotes and/or references are merely dropped into the paper; integration of sources is lacking |
__most quotes and/or references are merely dropped into the paper; integration of sources is lacking |
| __outside sources are properly documented using disciplinary standards |
__outside sources are properly documented for the most part; some problems with paranthetical references and/or Works Cited page |
__outside sources are not properly documented; many problems with paranthetical references and/or Works Cited page |
__outside sources are not properly documented; many problems with paranthetical references and/or Works Cited page |
| __paper uses the number and type of sources required by the assignment |
__paper uses the number and type of sources required by the assignment |
__paper uses an insufficient number of sources as required by the assignment; and/or paper uses incorrect type(s) of sources as required by the assignment |
__paper uses an insufficient number of sources as required by the assignment; and/or paper uses incorrect type(s) of sources as required by the assignment |
| __paper plagiarizes ideas and/or evidence and therefore fails |
Additional Comments:
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