BUSN520

Grading Rubric for all Written Assignments

CRITERIA

A

B

C

Unsatisfactory

CONTENT

35%

The writer demonstrates an understanding of the facts, attitudes, and perceptions of the concepts/issues discussed in the assignment and gives a cogent analysis that addresses the key elements/points and presents related solutions.

The writer demonstrates a limited understanding of the facts, attitudes, and perceptions of the concepts/issues discussed in the assignment and the writer’s analysis is limited; the paper addresses some of the key elements and presents a few solutions.

The writer demonstrates a very limited understanding of the facts, attitudes, and perceptions of the concepts/issues discussed in the assignment and the analysis is incorrect; the paper does not address the main points or presents unrelated solutions.

The writer does not demonstrate an understanding of the facts, attitudes, and perceptions of the concepts/issues discussed in the assignment and does not give an analysis or present solutions that address the key elements/points.

ORGANIZATION and FORMAT

30%

The paper is effectively organized for the target audience and task.  Format choices enhance the document.

The paper is effectively organized for the target audience, but format choices need improvement.

The paper is not effectively organized for the target audience, and the format choices need improvement.

The paper’s organization is difficult to follow.  The format distracts from the content, or is inappropriate for the target audience or type of document.

STYLE

25%

The writer’s style is clear and concise.  The writer uses active voice except in situations where he/she feels it is necessary to obscure the parties responsible for the action or in cases where the identity of the responsible parties is unknown.

The writer’s style is clear, but wordy.  The writer uses active voice for the most part, but the reader may find instances where passive voice is used incorrectly.

The writer’s tone needs improvement. 

The writer’s style is wordy, and the paper has many instances of awkward sentences. Passive voice is used in too many instances and may obscure the meaning in places.

The writer’s tone may be unprofessional.

The writer’s style and word choice make the document difficult to read.

The writer’s tone may be unprofessional.

The writer employs a professional tone.

GRAMMAR & SPELLING

10%

The paper has been carefully proofread and is free of grammar and spelling errors. 

The paper has been proofread, but it contains minor errors such as failure to form the possessive correctly, comma faults (not comma splices), and spelling errors which the software might not catch. 

The paper has not been carefully proofread.  It contains 1-2 examples of major errors, such as comma splices, run on sentences, agreement errors, and fragments.  The paper may also have a distracting number of spelling errors.

The number of grammar and spelling errors leads the reader to believe that the writer is careless or does not understand standard English usage.