Grading Rubric

The following rubric is used in all Writing Program courses to ensure consistent standards for evaluating student essays. 

A=Superior

Convincingly and ardently communicates a noteworthy idea to an audience through sophisticated use of rhetorical strategies.
• Thesis/focus—demonstrates an awareness of audience, is sophisticated, and is clearly established and maintained throughout.
• Organization—has a clear sense of logical order appropriate to the content and the thesis.
• Development—demonstrates critical thinking that is clear, insightful, in depth, and relevant to the topic.
• Syntax and Diction—uses sophisticated language that engages the reader; manipulates sentence length to enhance the total effect of the essay; uses precise language that expresses complex ideas clearly.
• Format and Design—fully integrates elements of design to best serve rhetorical purpose.
• Research (if applicable)—uses sources effectively and documents sources accurately.
• Mechanics—contains very few errors of spelling, grammar, paragraphing or manuscript format.

B=Strong

Effectively conveys an insightful idea to an audience through consistent and controlled use of rhetorical strategies.
• Thesis/focus—is intelligent, clearly established, and consistently addressed throughout.
• Organization—is logical, clear, and controlled.
• Development—demonstrates critical thinking that is more than adequate, with significant detail; may show depth in thinking and research.
• Syntax and Diction—demonstrates knowledge of and skill with complex and varied sentence constructions and vocabulary.
• Format and Design—consistently contributes to the persuasive aims of the assignment.
• Research (if applicable)—uses sources effectively and documents accurately.
• Mechanics—may contain errors, but these errors do not interfere with the essay’s overall effectiveness.

C=Competent

Communicates an idea, but does not consistently address the needs of its audience.
• Thesis/focus—has a central idea that is conventional or general.
• Organization—the essay’s organization is choppy and may, at times, be difficult to follow.
• Development—demonstrates limited critical thinking and limited knowledge of the subject.
• Syntax and Diction—demonstrates competency with language use, but sentence constructions and vocabulary may be limited or repetitive.
• Format and Design—unevenly incorporates elements of design to aid its argument
• Research (if applicable)—lacks sufficient research for the topic, poorly incorporates sources, or fails to document accurately
• Mechanics—contains multiple errors that hinder the essay’s readability.

D=Inadequate

Ineffectively communicates its idea to its intended audience.
• Thesis/focus—is superficial and inconsistently addressed; reveals limited awareness of audience
• Organization—reveals no apparent strategy and lapses in focus and logic.
• Development—displays little knowledge of the subject, does not form conclusions, or fails to exhibit critical thinking or clear reasoning.
• Syntax and Diction—contains repetitive, incorrect, or ineffective sentence structure; displays a limited vocabulary.
• Format and Design—bears little relevance to the assignment’s rhetorical purpose or guidelines.
• Research (if applicable)—lacks sufficient research for the topic, poorly incorporates sources, or fails to document sources accurately.
• Mechanics—contains many errors that garble the meaning or intent.

F=Incompetent

Fails to present its ideas to the audience and does not meet some or all of the criteria for the assignment.
• Thesis/focus—lacks a central idea; has no awareness, or limited awareness, its audience and purpose.
• Organization—is random and without focus or logic.
• Development— displays little or no knowledge of the subject, does not form conclusions, or fails to exhibit critical thinking or clear reasoning
• Syntax and Diction— fails to demonstrate competency with language use; sentence constructions and vocabulary may be inappropriate, facile, or incoherent.
• Format and Design—makes no attempt to use the elements of design to help persuade its audiences
• Research (if applicable)—fails to include sufficient sources for topic, incorporates irrelevant or inadequate sources, or plagiarizes.
• Mechanics—contains serious and multiple errors that seriously hinder the reading of the paper.