ENGL 1013 Final F (0-59) D (60-69) C (70-79) B (80-89) A (90-100)
Introduction
2. Construct thesis-driven essays that adhere to a specific purpose, context, and audience.
no introduction or no separate introductory paragraph
poor or skimpy introduction; context not established
some introduction; nothing beyond a forecast and/or a hint at context for thesis
introduction establishes developed context; points reader in direction essay will take
introduction grasps reader’s attention (engages the reader) with well-developed context and points reader clearly in direction essay will take
Thesis and Coherence
2. Construct thesis-driven essays that adhere to a specific purpose, context, and audience.
no articulation of thesis and/or mismatch between thesis and the body
poor articulation of thesis and/or body paragraphs often veer off topic or are repetitive
some articulation of thesis; and/or almost every paragraph works to support the thesis (occasional tangent or repetition)
clear articulation of thesis; every paragraph works to support the thesis
clear and purposeful articulation of thesis; focused and unified paragraphs all work to support the thesis
Paragraph Development
2. Construct thesis-driven essays that adhere to a specific purpose, context, and audience.
poor paragraphs with no clear topic sentence; multiple topics; little or no development
poor paragraphs with occasional hint of topic; little or no development
some structure and development of paragraphs and/or some with clear topic sentences or focus, but not consistently
all body paragraphs are developed; each body paragraph contains a clear topic sentence
all body paragraphs are consistently well developed; all contain a clear topic sentence and the appropriate number of sentences that provide examples and develop points
Use of Examples and Details(Support)
2. Construct thesis-driven essays that adhere to a specific purpose, context, and audience.
no use of specific, concrete examples
little use of specific, concrete examples
some use of examples or evidence, but not consistent; no evidence or examples in places where they are needed
frequent or consistent use of examples and evidence; example or evidence appears whenever the reader asks, “For instance?”
wealth of relevant supporting material, smoothly integrated into the text
Transitions
2. Construct thesis-driven essays that adhere to a specific purpose, context, and audience.
no transition between paragraphs; no flow
weak or occasional transition between paragraphs; poor flow
some transition or flow between paragraphs; transitions between most paragraphs; transitions may consist of single words
consistent transition between paragraphs and points within paragraphs; strong flow; transitions may consist of single words and/or phrases
strong, clear, and consistent transition between paragraphs and points within paragraphs; clear expression of relationship between ideas
Conclusion
2. Construct thesis-driven essays that adhere to a specific purpose, context, and audience.
no conclusion or no separate conclusion paragraph
nothing beyond cursory summary of ideas in essay
comprehensive and developed summary of points made, but nothing beyond summary; no broad conclusions/lessons
goes beyond summary; attempt is made at expressing significance, relevance, or implications, but ideas are underdeveloped or not expressed clearly
satisfying and fulfilling end of essay that revisits thesis, main points, and context without simply repeating introduction; clearly expresses significance, relevance, or implication
Sentence Variation
3. Write in standard edited English, free from major lapses in usage, mechanics, and spelling.
composed primarily of simple sentences; no sentence pattern variety
little or no variation of sentences; monotonous use of sentence type. (length/complexity)
some variation of sentences; sentences of varying length or type, but not varied effectively
effective variation of sentence length and type; text is fluid
richly varied sentence structure; text is fluid, polished, balanced, and energetic
Grammar and Mechanics
3. Write in standard edited English, free from major lapses in usage, mechanics, and spelling.
consistent and pervasive lack of control of punctuation and conventional English; contains numerous serious errors
lacks control of punctuation and conventional English; may contain a pattern of major errors, such as fused sentences, gross S-V agreement errors, verb form errors, or fragments
contains isolated to no major errors (fused sentences, gross S-V agreement errors, unintentional fragments, or verb form errors); spelling, punctuation, and grammar are generally correct
displays control of punctuation and conventional written English; no major errors, such as fused sentences, gross S-V agreement errors, verb form errors, or unintentional fragments; may contain slight errors in punctuation and spelling
displays a mastery of punctuation and conventional written English; contains no major errors; contains no structural or grammatical problems, such as misplaced modifiers, shifts in viewpoint, or pronoun-antecedent disagreement; spelling is correct; mechanically perfect or nearly so
MLA Citation and Documentation
Locate, evaluate, and synthesize primary and secondary sources without falling into plagiarism; document sources in at least one standard style of documentation (GELO 1, 6)
***Added for the Pilot Program***
Essay does not contain in-text citations and/or a works cited page
Consistent page formatting errors.
Obvious plagiarism.
Works cited page and in-text citations demonstrate significant punctuation issues
and/or
works cited page and in-text citations demonstrate significant formatting issues
and/or
works cited page entries are not in alphabetical order
and/or
multiple extraneous works cited entries (information from sources clearly not used in text).
Some page formatting errors.
Unintentional plagiarism.
Works cited page and in-text citations demonstrate slight punctuation issues/inaccuracies
and/or
works cited page and/or in-text citations demonstrate slight formatting issues
and/or
one extraneous works cited entry (information from sources clearly not used in text).
Isolated page formatting errors.
Works cited page or in-text citations demonstrate slight punctuation issues/inaccuracies
Negligible page formatting errors.
Works cited page and in-text citations demonstrate mastery of MLA citation and documentation
Essay free from page formatting errors.
*If any category is evaluated in the “F” range, the highest grade the essay may receive is 69 (“D”).