w9 assignment

Content Indicators

Failing (F Grade)

Demonstrates limited competence regarding the writing assignment; is seriously flawed.

Below Average (D Grade)

Demonstrates some degree of competence in response to the assignment but is clearly flawed.

Average (C Grade)

Demonstrates minimum acceptable competence in response to the assignment.

Above Average (B Grade)

Demonstrates clear competence in response to the assignment but may have minor errors.

Excellent (A Grade)

In general, demonstrates a high degree of competence in response to the assignment.

Thesis An identifiable statement of the writing’s goal and perspective.

Essay is off-assignment or presents a very unclear or unidentifiable thesis.

The thesis may be unclear; often the thesis cannot be discerned without significant work on the part of the reader.

The essay presents an appropriate thesis, but that thesis may be too broad or the audience might, for some reason, have trouble immediately identifying the thesis.

The writing presents a clearly identifiable thesis that is appropriate to the writing task in scope, focus, and direction.

The paper has a clear and compelling thesis statement that may be a novel or original approach to the problem.

Audience & Purpose The writing’s effectiveness in appealing to its stated or implied audience; the writing’s sense of its rhetorical purpose.

The essay demonstrates no discernible sense of purpose, unclear or problematic sense of the audience of the piece.

The essay has a poor sense of its audience and its values, and a limited sense of purpose. The topic may be banal or the approach to it superficial.

The writing illustrates an appropriate if unsophisticated sense of its audience and purpose; the writer’s topic and approach to it are appropriate for college-level writing.

The essay accommodates itself well to its intended audience and has a clear sense of purpose. There might be awareness or consideration of other points of view.

There is a clear and sustained sense of audience and purpose; the language and approach are effective in accommodating that audience, and the author displays an awareness and understanding of other points of view.

Organization The clarity, cohesion, and placement of elements of the paper.

The essay is not organized logically, or has problems with essay- or paragraph-level coherence

The essay suffers from a counter-intuitive or confusing organizational scheme; paragraphs are misplaced or would be far more effective in other places.

The paper is adequately organized and developed; the transitions between logical elements of the paper is in general clear. Some elements may be out of place or more effective elsewhere, but the overall scheme of the paper is acceptable.

The paper is generally well-organized. Each section flows naturally and intuitively from one to the next, and logical transitions are in general clear.

The paper is well-organized and coherently developed; each element of the paper is logically connected to the larger aim of the work.

Detail & Development

How well the essay uses supporting details and other evidence to clarify and reinforce its points.

The work presents few or no relevant details to support its assertions or presents evidence that is difficult to understand or inappropriate in some way.

What information used from external sources is cited incorrectly or in inappropriate style.

The essay in general lacks supportive relevant details. There is inadequate explanation or illustration of key ideas; irrelevant information may instead be present; the reasoning will necessarily be flawed.

The paper has tried to use or cite information from external sources, but the problems in the selection or appropriateness of the evidence renders this problematic in some way.

The paper explains or illustrates some of its key ideas with appropriate descriptions, analysis or other evidence, but may feature flaws in evidence or reasoning; any awareness of other points of view is limited.

Evidence from external sources is cited with an assignment-appropriate citation style, though there may be minor mistakes in formatting citations.

The B-level work clearly explains or illustrates key ideas, using concrete details, description, or other appropriate evidence in a compelling and affecting manner. Some evidence may be obvious or problematic in some way, but the writer does not consistently settle for the obvious.

Evidence from external sources is cited with an assignment-appropriate citation style, though there may be isolated minor mistakes in formatting citations.

The paper clearly and consistently explains or illustrates key ideas, using concrete details, description, or other appropriate evidence. The use or selection of evidence may be novel or original in some way.

Evidence from external sources is correctly cited with an assignment-appropriate citation style.

Introduction & Conclusion Elements of the paper that establish a sense of exigence and importance for the topic.

Introduction or conclusion may be missing in the F essay, or they might be ineffective in generating a sense of importance for the topic.

The work may present an unclear or ineffective introduction and / or conclusion (one of these elements may even be missing) that fails to establish (or re-establish) a sense of importance and relevance for the audience.

The essay presents an appropriate introduction and conclusion that establishes a sense of importance and relevance for the topic for the selected audience. These elements may be flawed or not as effective as they might be.

The introduction and conclusion are clear and appropriate to the writing task, though they might not be as forceful or exciting as they could be.

The paper contains a strong introduction and conclusion that clearly lay out the purpose and importance of the paper’s topic.

Mechanics and Grammar

The paper’s effectiveness in the use of language.

The writing is plagued with serious and repeated errors in mechanics and grammar that distract from the writer’s meaning and clarity. F essays are often characterized by at least two repeated major errors, three instances of different major errors, or an accumulation of many minor errors.

The essay illustrates a pattern of major and minor errors in grammar, mechanics, or usage that distracts from or obscures the writer’s intended meaning. Word choice or diction may be limited or inappropriate for the writing task. Often, these essays contain one repeated major error or two instances of different major errors, and accumulation of minor errors.

The C essay demonstrates adequate facility with language; while the prose adheres to the constraints of Standardized English Grammar, syntactic variety, subordination, and other sophisticated elements of sentence structure may be lacking; the essay may be written in a “wooden” style.

The essay may display some errors in mechanics, usage, and sentence structure but does not display a consistent pattern of such errors, nor is the writer’s intended meaning obscured by their presence.

The prose, while competent, may lack a sense of the author’s voice.

The writing in this paper displays above-average competency in the use of language, using conventional sentence structure, subordination, emphasis, sentence length and other syntactic variations are present. There are no major sentence errors, such as run-ons or fragments present.

The prose is generally free from errors in mechanics and usage; punctuation, grammar, and spelling are consistent with the standards of Standard English Grammar.

The paper has a noticeable sense of the writer’s voice.

The writing evinces exceptional facility in the use of language; the prose is clear, coherent, and even occasionally memorable. The paper is generally free from errors in mechanics, usage, and sentence structure; what few errors there are do not undermine the overall effectiveness of the paper.

The writer has evoked a clear and distinctive voice in the paper.

Some part of this Grading Rubric was developed from the Association of American Colleges and Universities: "Reprinted [or Excerpted] with permission from Assessing Outcomes and Improving Achievement: Tips and tools for Using Rubrics, edited by Terrel L. Rhodes. Copyright 2010 by the Association of American Colleges and Universities.”