Standards for Evaluation

Content

• Excellent (A)
  Significant controlling idea or assertion supported with concrete, substantial, and relevant evidence.
• Good (B)
  Controlling idea or assertion supported with concrete and relevant evidence.
• Adequate (C)
  Controlled idea or assertion general, limited, or obvious; some supporting evidence is repetitious, irrelevant, or sketchy.
• Poor (D)
  Controlling idea or assertion too general, superficial, or vague; evidence insufficient because obvious, contradictory, or aimless.
• Failing (F)
  No discernible idea or assertion controls the random or unexplained details that make up the body of the essay.

Development

• Excellent (A)
  Order reveals a sense of necessity, symmetry, and emphasis; paragraphs focused and coherent; logical transitions reinforce the progress of the analysis or argument. Introduction engages initial interest; conclusion supports without repeating.
• Good (B)
  Order reveals a sense of necessity and emphasis; paragraphs focused and coherent; logical transitions signal changes in direction; introduction engages initial interest; conclusion supports without merely repeating.
• Adequate (C)
  Order apparent but not consistently maintained; paragraphs focused and for the most part coherent; transitions functional but often obvious or monotonous. Introduction or conclusions may be mechanical rather than purposeful or insightful.
• Poor (D)
  Order unclear or inappropriate, failing to emphasize central idea; paragraphs jumbled or underdeveloped; transitions unclear, inaccurate, or missing. Introduction merely describes what is to follow; conclusion merely repeats what has been said.
• Failing (F)
  Order and emphasis indiscernible; paragraphs typographical rather than structural; transitions unclear, inaccurate, or missing. Neither the introduction nor the conclusion satisfies any clear rhetorical purpose.

Style

• Excellent (A)
  Sentences varied, purposeful, and emphatic; diction fresh, precise, economical, and idiomatic; tone complements the subject, conveys the authorial persona, and suits the audience.
• Good (B)
  Sentences varied, purposeful, and emphatic; diction precise and idiomatic; tone fits the subject, persona, and audience.
• Adequate (C)
  Sentences competent but lacking emphasis and variety; diction generally correct and idiomatic; tone acceptable for the subject.
• Poor (D)
  Sentences lack necessary emphasis, subordination, and purpose; diction vague or unidiomatic; tone inconsistent with or inappropriate to the subject.
• Failing (F)
  Incoherent, rudimentary, or redundant sentences thwart the meaning of the essay; diction nonstandard or unidiomatic; tone indiscernible or inappropriate to the subject.

Usage

• Excellent (A)
  Grammar, syntax, punctuation, and spelling adhere to the conventions of “edited American English.”
• Good (B)
  Grammar, syntax, punctuation, and spelling contain no serious deviations from the conventions of “edited American English.”
• Adequate (C)
  Content undercut by some deviations from the conventions of “edited American English.”
• Poor (D)
  Frequent mistakes in grammar, syntax, punctuation, and spelling obscure content.
• Failing (F)
  Frequent and serious mistakes in grammar, syntax, punctuation, and spelling make the content unintelligible.

Work Cited

Stone, Wilfred and J.G. Bell, Prose Style: A Handbook for Writers. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968.

Criteria