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Patricia O'Neill

Written Grading Criteria

                           CRITERIA USED FOR GRADING WRITTEN WORK


A         The grade of A [90% or more on a paper or short essay exam answer]

              [eg. 5/5 on a seminar paper ] means that it excels in most or all of the 

              following ways:

  • Treatment of subject shows good critical intelligence, careful workmanship and originality.                          
  • Organization is so clear that the reader knows all the times what the purpose is and how the writer intends to accomplish it.
  • The paragraph is coherent and it is developed fully as the function demands.
  • Sentences are clear in meaning and so constructed as to contribute precisely and effectively to the writer's purpose.
  • Choice of words is exact, appropriate and sensitive.
  • Grammar, punctuation and spelling conform to accepted usage, with few minor errors and no major errors.

 

B         The grade of B [80% or more on a paper or short essay exam]                                                                  

              [eg. 4/5 on a seminar paper] means that it is good in most or all of the following ways:

  • Treatment of subject shows some originality and better than average ability to relate ideas.
  • Organization is clear, although lacking the full clarity and tighten coherence of A work.  It is appropriate to the subject and purpose.
  • The paragraph is reasonably unified, coherent, and well developed.
  • Sentences are generally fluent and clear, and are sufficiently varied to make for an easy style.
  • Words are used precisely and with some attention to stylistic appropriateness.
  • Grammar, punctuation, and spelling conform to accepted usage. 


C         The grade of C [70% or more on a paper or short essay exam answer]

              [eg. 3/5 on a seminar paper ] means that it is routine in its total effect:

  • Treatment of subject is acceptable, but it lacks distinction.
  • Organization is fairly clear; a central idea is systematically treated.
  • The paragraph structure shows some coherence, but it tends to be loose.
  • Sentences are correct and sufficiently linked to make for continuity.
  • Generally, the style is flat, and the meaning is not always clear.
  • There are some errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

 

D         The grade of D [60% or more on a paper or short essay exam answer]

              [eg. 2/5 on a seminar paper ] means that it has a number of the following

              weaknesses:

  • Treatment of the subject tends to be thin, vague, or trite.
  • Organization is not clear nor effective.
  • The paragraph tends to be incoherent and poorly developed.
  • Sentences are generally awkward or overly simple.  Their meaning is frequently not clear.
  • Choice of words is often imprecise, or inappropriate.
  • There are a number of errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

 

F          The grade of F [less than 60% on a paper or short essay exam answer]

              [eg. 1/5 on a seminar paper ] means that it has many of these weaknesses:

  • Treatment of the subject is thin and vague.
  • The paragraph lacks a distinct beginning, middle, and ending.
  • The paragraph obviously lacks unity and is poorly developed.
  • Sentences are awkward, or unclear.
  • The choice of words is frequently inexact or inappropriate.
  • Grammar, punctuation and spelling are faulty.