Content

Structure

Style

Mechanics

4.0

(Excellent)

Topic is extremely well selected and focused for a college-level audience.

Ideas are developed with insight, originality, careful thought, unity, and logic.

Thesis is clearly stated or implied.

Support is relevant, accurate, substantial, and effective.

Overall plan enhances purpose.

Placement of thesis is effective.

Division, sequence, and

connection of ideas in paragraphs

and sentences show great care

and purpose

Point of view is exceptionally

appropriate and effective for purpose.

Word choices (tone and level) are

effective and appropriate for purpose

and audience.

Sentences are clear, concise, and effectively patterned for purpose and

audience.

Reader not disrupted by major or minor errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, word usage, and MLA formatting.

3.0

(Very Good)

Topic is well selected and focused

for a college-level audience.

Ideas are developed with care,

unity, and clarity of thought.

Thesis is well stated or implied.

Support is relevant, quite substantial, and usually effective.

Overall plan assists purpose.

Placement of thesis is useful.

Division, sequence and connection of ideas in sentences and paragraphs are useful and coherent.

Point of view is appropriate and

effective for purpose.

Word choices are well chosen for

purpose and audience.

Sentences are clear, concise, and usually well patterned for purpose

and audience.

Reader not disrupted by

major errors and rarely by

minor errors in grammar,

punctuation, spelling, word usage, and MLA formatting.

2.0

(Satisfactory)

Topic is adequately selected and focused, but development is somewhat trite or general.

Thesis is adequately stated.

Support for ideas is relevant and adequate.

Overall plan adequately matches purposes.

Placement of thesis is adequate.

Division, sequence, and connection of ideas in paragraphs and sentences are adequate.

Point of view is appropriate.

Word choices are adequate.

Sentences are clear and concise.

Reader rarely disrupted by major errors and occasionally by minor errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, word usage, and MLA formatting.

1.0

(Poor)

Topic is vaguely focused, and ideas are poorly selected.

Thesis fails to focus topic.

Support is sketchy, irrelevant and/or untrue.

Plan is ill-formed.

Placement of thesis is weak.

Division, sequence, and connection of ideas in paragraphs and sentences are sometimes inadequate.

Point of view is often inconsistent or inappropriate for purpose.

Word choices are sometimes careless or vague.

Sentences are sometimes unclear and wordy.

Reader frequently disrupted by major and minor errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, word usage, and MLA formatting.

0.0

(Failure)

Central idea is poorly selected, unclear and inadequately developed and supported.

Plan not clearly apparent.

Division, sequence and connection of ideas in paragraphs and sentences are inadequate.

Point of view is inconsistent and inappropriate for purpose.

Word choices inappropriate or vague.

Sentences are indirect, loosely worded, and unplanned.

Reader often disrupted by major and minor errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, word usage, and MLA formatting.