English Composition 1

IVCC's Grading Standards for Student Essays

The grading criteria below are copied from the "Grading Standards" section of IVCC's Style Book. Grades for essays in ENG 1001 and ENG 1002 classes are determined using the criteria below. 
 

The "A" Paper: Excellent

To earn an "A," a paper must meet all of the criteria below:

  1. The paper fulfills all the basic requirements of the assignment (for example, topic, purpose, length).
  2. The paper supports its thesis with a thorough development of ideas entirely tailored to the intended audience.
  3. The thesis and ideas in the paper are consistently original and insightful and demonstrate a sophistication and complexity of thought.
  4. The organization of the paper is consistently logical and coherent, and the paper exhibits a mastery of basic paper components (introduction, conclusion, and body paragraph structure).
  5. If sources are required, the paper accurately uses and correctly documents credible source material to add insight, sophistication, and complexity to the paper's ideas.
  6. The paper demonstrates a high level of understanding and skill in the use of Standard English, style, and format.
     

The "B" Paper: Good

To earn a "B," a paper must meet all of the criteria below:

  1. The paper fulfills all the basic requirements of the assignment (for example, topic, purpose, length).
  2. The paper supports its thesis with a substantial development of ideas consistently tailored to the intended audience.
  3. The thesis and ideas in the paper effectively combine original and insightful observations with commonly accepted ideas (generated by class discussion, for example).
  4. The organization of the paper is mostly logical and coherent, and the paper exhibits a strong ability to incorporate basic paper components (introduction, conclusion, and body paragraph structure).
  5. If sources are required, the paper accurately uses and correctly documents credible source material to supplement its ideas.
  6. The paper demonstrates understanding and skill in the use of Standard English, style, and format, with, at most, only a few errors, rather than any pattern of consistent error.
     

The "C" Paper: Satisfactory

To earn a "C," a paper must meet all of the criteria below:

  1. The paper fulfills all the basic requirements of the assignment (for example, topic, purpose, length).
  2. The paper supports its thesis with an adequate development of ideas that are consistently appropriate for the intended audience.
  3. The thesis and ideas in the paper are generally clear and logical, perhaps relying primarily on commonly accepted ideas (generated by class discussion, for example).
  4. The organization of the paper is generally logical and coherent, and the paper indicates competence in basic paper components (introduction, conclusion, and body paragraph structure).
  5. If sources are required, the paper uses the minimum required amount of credible source material and documents it, with only occasional errors.
  6. The paper demonstrates competence in the use of Standard English, style, and format, with occasional errors.
     

The "D" Paper: Deficient

To earn a "D," a paper will exhibit one or more of the weaknesses below:

  1. The paper only partially fulfills one or more of the basic requirements of the assignment (for example, topic, purpose, length).
  2. The paper's development of ideas is insufficient to support its thesis adequately, or the ideas are not consistently appropriate for the intended audience.
  3. The thesis and ideas in the paper are not consistently clear or logical, or they may rely entirely on commonly accepted ideas (generated by class discussion, for instance).
  4. The organization of the paper is not consistently logical and coherent, or the paper indicates awareness of but not competence in basic paper components (introduction, conclusion, and body paragraph structure).
  5. If sources are required, the paper uses sources but does not meet the minimum source requirements, uses source material inaccurately, or uses sources that are not credible; though documentation may be in place, the paper contains frequent documentation errors.
  6. The paper contains consistent errors in use of Standard English, style, or format.
     

The "F" Essay: Failing

To earn an "F," a paper will exhibit one or more of the weaknesses below:

  1. The paper fails to fulfill one or more of the basic requirements of the assignment (for example, topic, purpose, length).
  2. The paper largely fails to develop ideas to support its thesis, or the ideas are consistently inappropriate for the intended audience.
  3. The thesis and ideas in the paper are consistently unclear, illogical, or incomplete.
  4. The organization of the paper is consistently illogical or incoherent, or the paper indicates lack of awareness and lack of competence in basic paper components (introduction, conclusion, and body paragraph structure).
  5. If sources are required, the paper fails to use sources, does not meet the minimum source requirements, uses source material inaccurately, uses sources that are not credible, consistently fails to document source material fully or correctly, or includes plagiarized source material.
  6. The paper contains pervasive errors in use of Standard English, style, or format.
     

Copyright Randy Rambo, 2019.