Grading Criteria for Essay 1
 

An A-Range (3.5-4.0) Essay

An A-range essay:

• Has a substantive thesis and essay fully addresses the topic; the thesis is defendable, clearly explained, and supported in the body of the essay
• Shows substantial depth, fullness and complexity of thought
• Expresses ideas clearly and commands the reader’s attention
• Demonstrates clear, unified and coherent organization
• Is fully developed and detailed with arguments supported by persuasive reasons and references to source material; there is an appropriate balance between providing evidence and analyzing that evidence
• Properly cites source material; uses quotations, summaries or paraphrases to skillfully advance arguments
• Has a sophisticated style (remarkable variety of sentence pattern, smooth transitions between ideas, superior control of diction)
• Has few, if any, minor errors in grammar, usage or mechanics

A B-range essay:

• Has a clear thesis and essay addresses the topic but may not do so completely; the thesis may be clear and well-argued, but could use additional support or development
• Shows some depth and complexity of thought
• Expresses ideas clearly 
• Demonstrates effective organization
• Is well developed with sensible supporting details and appropriate references to source material; however, some evidence may detract from the thesis and some ideas might not be fully explored
• Properly cites source material; uses quotations, summaries and paraphrases to advance arguments; balance between evidence and analysis exists, but may be weak in places
• Has an effective style (some variety of sentence patterns, transitions between ideas, accurate diction)
• Has few errors in grammar, usage or mechanics

A C-range essay:

• Has a thesis that may not be entirely clear and essay does not fully address the topic
• Shows insufficient awareness of the complexity of issues addressed; may treat the topic simplistically or repetitively
• Communicates ideas clearly for the most part, but may have some lapses in clarity
• Has a recognizable organizational pattern, but the relation among parts is not consistently clear enough to provide a coherent focus
• Is unevenly developed; writer may offer sufficient examples, reasoning, or references to source material for some of the ideas but not for others
• Properly cites source material, but occasionally relies too heavily on quotations, summaries, or paraphrases to advance arguments; writer needs a more effective balance between evidence and analysis
• Has an adequate style (limited variation in sentence patterns, transitions between most ideas, diction accurate for the most part)
• Has some errors in grammar, usage or mechanics, but demonstrates basic control of these areas

A D-range essay has one or more of the following characteristics:

• Has an unclear thesis; essay discusses the topic and meets basic length requirements, but does not address the topic in any meaningful fashion
• Lacks focus or demonstrates confused, stereotyped or simplistic thinking; writer may demonstrate no overall conception of the issues raised by the topic
• May not communicate ideas clearly
• Is ineffectively organized, with no clear relationship between the parts of the essay
• May not provide adequate or appropriate details or references to support generalizations, or may provide details without generalizations
• Uses source material ineffectively, trusting in long summaries, paraphrases, or quotations to advance the argument; the relationship between source material and the thesis may not be clear
• Cites source material incorrectly
• Has stylistic weaknesses (no variety of sentence patterns, few transitions, imprecise diction)
• Has occasional major errors in grammar, usage or mechanics or frequent minor errors that interfere in the reader's understanding of the essay

A F-range essay has one or more of the following characteristics:

• Has no thesis or has an incomprehensible thesis that does not engage the topic
• May be deliberately off-topic and demonstrate no understanding of the issues addressed by the topic
• Does not communicate ideas clearly
• Lacks coherent organization
• Shows no development of ideas
• Uses source material without citation, presenting quotation, paraphrase and summary of another author's work as the writer's own
• Has an incoherent style (difficulties with sentence structure, pattern of diction errors)

Has pervasive pattern of errors in grammar, usage and mechanics that renders the essay unreadable