A Essay |
Purpose |
Obviously fulfills its designated purpose/mode |
Structure |
Well-organized; introduction has interesting lead-in and well-developed thesis; body supports thesis with specific, relevant, details, logical order, coherence, transitions; conclusion brings essay to a satisfying finish; sentence variety shows some sophistication |
Content |
Interesting generally and particularly; shows depth of thought; ideas clearly expressed with examples; tone is appropriate |
Mechanics, grammar, usage |
Few, if any, errors (0 – 1) |
Presentation |
Neat; meets MLA standards; meets parameters of the assignment |
B Essay |
Purpose |
Fulfills its designated purpose/mode |
Structure |
Mostly well-organized; introduction adequately introduces thesis; body may need more specific details, mostly logical order, may need more transitions; conclusion sums up, but contributes little interest; sentence variety present |
Content |
Interesting generally or particularly; shows some good thought; ideas mostly clear; tone is mostly appropriate |
Mechanics, grammar, usage |
No more than 2 major errors and less than 5 minor errors |
Presentation |
Neat; mostly meets MLA standards; meets parameters of the assignment |
C Essay |
Purpose |
Attempts to fulfill its designated purpose/mode |
Structure |
Attempts organization; introduction is bland, but contains thesis; topic sentences may not always direct the paragraph development; some ideas may be underdeveloped; transition problems; problems with order; conclusion merely restates introduction; little sentence variety |
Content |
Mildly interesting; little depth of thought; several ideas unclear; tone is inappropriate: too casual, slang |
Mechanics, grammar, usage |
3 major errors or 5 minor errors |
Presentation |
Mostly neat; attempts MLA standards; may not meet assignment parameters |
D/F Essay |
Purpose |
Does not fulfill its designated purpose/mode |
Structure |
Poor organization; poor or nonexistent thesis; poor support and unity; poor or nonexistent conclusion |
Content |
Uninteresting; shallow; unclear; inappropriate tone |
Mechanics, grammar, usage |
4 or more major errors or 6 or more minor errors |
Presentation |
Illegible; incorrect format; does not meet assignment parameters |
