Grading Criteria

The “A” Paper	The “B” Paper	The “C” Paper	The “D” Paper	The “F” Paper
Clearly defined focus and purpose Mature writing style and sentence structure Material engages the reader’s interest Impeccable clarity of thought Excellent sense of organization No major grammatical errors Precise, engaging word choice	Clearly defined focus and purpose Excellent sense of organization No major grammatical errors Paper possesses most attributes of an “A” paper but has some nagging flaw: a writing style that has yet to mature, a tendency for less than precise word choice, one of two cases of shaky and imprecise logic, or an egregious grammatical mistake	Shows limited grasp of how to focus on a topic, organize it, and avoid egregious grammatical errors Logic may be sound, but the writer sometimes makes a general statement without needed support to back up the claim No major grammatical errors Sound organization Style needs improvement (sentence variety and tone warrant consideration) Carelessly weighted word choices and misleading statements	Topic does not have adequate focus, developing multiple conflicting ideas or an overly broad and vague topic that cannot be sufficiently developed within the length of the paper No coherent organization: key structural flaws (transitions, introduction, conclusion) Major grammatical errors force the reader to fight through the text Major logic or evidentiary flaws	Paper does not follow assignment directions (topic, format, length) Errors in all major categories (purpose, organization, grammar, style)

	Analysis: coherent presentation of both evidence and your critical interpretation (assessment) of that evidence.
	Editorializing: rendering an opinion on what you think should be in the text, as opposed to what actually appears there. There are times when you may be asked to speculate or offer alternate solutions than the ones that the characters or author suggest, but unless you are invited to do so, stick to the text.
	Evidence: quotes, plot points, character analysis, or other information found in the text which backs up your argument.
	Follow-up: to step beyond direct interpretation of the language of the text itself and analyze why a character said that line or a particular plot point happened; or to connect your point to points made about other texts you are discussing or to a larger issue.
	Logical Problem: an error or fallacy in logic; see Logic: A Rough Guide for more details
	Premise: sometimes known as "thesis." This is the central idea of your argument: the case that you are trying to prove.
	Reacting: focusing on how a text makes you feel. Emotional impact is important: you should care about what you write. But your emotions should be used to draw a reader into the discussion, in which your evidence and analysis will show why you feel the way you do. You cannot prove an argument to a reader simply by feeling strongly enough about it.
	Reader: your audience, who is interested in what you have to say and is waiting for you to prove your point. Never write to the teacher: always write to your "peers" (who your peers are will depend on your particular writing circumstances). Your reader may know some background information about your argument already, but your reader is not psychic. You must provide sufficient explanation, common definitions, and background so that you and your reader are "on the same page," that is, that your reader understands what you are talking about. Too much confusion will cause a reader to stop reading -- and you will lose your argument by default.
	Text: the story, movie, book, show, advertisement, theme park ride, or whatever you are "reading" and analyzing in order to provide evidence to make your case.

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