 |
Instructor's Handbook & Guide |
|
While no two professors will grade exactly the same way, we tend to agree on what constitutes excellence, and what varies between lower and upper level courses is the difficulty of the assignments, not the definition of quality. Therefore, it is helpful for students to have guidelines about how to translate those generally agreed upon standards that we indicate via grades into general comments about their work. This is especially the case for paper grades, as students tend to see the process of assigning a grade to a paper as subjective and thus open to more discussion than a grade for a piece of non-prose work. Publishing an objective description of what each grade means is one more way for instructors to help students understand how their work is assessed. Comments at the end of the graded paper can also quote from published guidelines and thus further reduce confusion.
The grade description below were written by the composition faculty
at Drew, and are revised annually. We invite others to adapt or adopt
them if doing so will help students understand what constitutes satisfactory
academic writing.
| A: | An "A" paper addresses the assignment or responds to the topic carefully and then goes beyond it to say something original. |
| Such papers identify a clear and focused thesis about the text(s) or
topic and follow it in a well organized manner, presenting a clear and
persuasive argument to support the thesis and adequate evidence to back
it up. The writer paid close attention to the text(s)/evidence, citing
specific passages/details and discussing them in relation to the thesis
by carefully considering what they reveal about the topic of the research.
Such a paper maintains a consistent style, presents quotations effectively,
avoids repetition and digression, and was proofread to catch grammar and
spelling errors, and to create smooth and effective transitions.
In addition to a clear introduction setting up the thesis, an "A" paper
also has a thoughtful conclusion discussing the implications of the argument
and encouraging the reader to consider the issue further.
|
|
| B: | A "B" paper addresses the assignment or responds to the topic, but does not go significantly beyond it. |
| In most cases, the paper identifies a solid and often interesting thesis,
but does not fully explore the way it plays itself out in the text(s)/evidence,
nor consider its implications. Such a paper may make some intelligent
connections but not explore them fully, or it may have a thoughtful thesis
that is not fully developed. Some "B" papers give the reader the
feeling that they are unfinished: as if they could have been placed within
a larger framework (other texts, theories, or relevant research; historical
events; issues relevant at the time or in the place that the text(s) were
written; cultural issues; the overall social, economic, or political system
within which the events of the text/topic occur; the author or some related
person's larger work; or some other issue raised in the course or deemed
relevant by the writer).
Many "B" papers have the capacity to be "A" papers with one more draft. Perhaps the thesis needs to be more clearly articulated, or the argument more carefully laid out or developed. Adding something as simple as topic sentences can help to reveal the direction a paper is moving in, and the places where it needs reorganization. Sometimes the evidence itself is not sufficient to support the argument and more research or closer reading is required. Sometimes such papers need to be more effectively organized or more carefully proofread, indeed, sometimes working on the grammatical structure allows the writer to see how to strengthen the overall argument. |
|
| C: | A "C" paper somewhat addresses the assignment or responds to the topic, but does not go beyond it in any significant way. It may also lack a totally effective structure or some other element. |
| The writer had something to say, but he or she failed to say it effectively.
Some "C" papers get sidetracked by largely irrelevant ideas or ideas whose
connection to the thesis is never explained. Other "C" papers include
too much information, leaving the paragraphs overloaded and unable to perform
their task of clearly expanding and supporting the thesis. "C" papers
leave their readers feeling dissatisfied, as if the paper is unfinished.
The reader often needs more information or needs the information provided
to be organized so that the purpose is clear. Often the discussion
can be enriched by placing it in a larger framework or redirecting it toward
a consistent audience.
Sometimes attention to grammar or organization can radically improve a "C" paper, but the first thing to attend to is the thesis. A "C" paper is often the result of a weak thesis. A thesis that is too general forces the writer to include too much information. A thesis that is insupportable can produce the same result, as the writer tries to include every possible argument to prove and unproveable point. Revising the thesis and reorganizing the material to support the new thesis can vastly improve a "C" paper. |
|
| D: | A "D" paper may somewhat address the assignment, but seems to miss its essential point or go off on a tangent that never connects back to the thesis. |
| "D" papers often articulate an interesting thesis, but then either
contradict themselves or simply move off in another direction. Some
"D" papers are the result of the writer's unfamiliarity with the text or
topic; however, more often they occur when the writer has too much to say
on an issue about which he or she has strong feelings. This excess
of emotion gets in the way of a purely rational argument and may produce
strong but unsupported (or insupportable) assertions. It frequently
produces an excess of grammatical errors as well. The opposite response
to an assignment or topic can also lead to a "D" paper: when a writer
totally lacks interest in a topic, he or she will tend to fail to
conduct sufficient research or develop a thoughtful thesis.
Some "D" papers have the capacity to be "A" papers after careful and thorough revision. If they lack a clear thesis and thus do not present their arguments strongly, the writer can return to the introduction and carefully state the position the paper will take, then reorganize the paper to support that point. Papers that earn a "D" because of the strong emotions they aroused in the writer often become truly excellent papers because the writer's feelings provide incentive for the necessary revisions--and the revision process helps the writer gain sufficient distance from the topic to achieve a degree of objectivity. On the other hand, papers that earn a "D" because the writer did not know the text(s) or topic well enough should be abandoned and completely rewritten when the writer has studied the material sufficiently and has something to say. When the paper is a "D" paper because the writer has failed to find an interest in the text(s) or topic, the challenge is to study the relevant material enough to find a point of entry or interest and then completely rewrite the paper. |
|
| U: | An "Unsatisfactory" paper does not seriously address the assignment or topic. It may raise some issues that connect with the assignment or topic, but for the most part it reveals a lack of understanding of the assignment, or, in some cases, a writer who was simply not ready to begin the paper and needed more time to carefully consider the issues. |
| The paper may address a question outside of the text, using the text
as a jumping off point to discuss something raised in it rather than analyzing
the text itself. On the other hand, the paper may simply be an elaborate
plot summary that raises important issues and maybe makes relevant connections,
but doesn't say anything about them. These papers may have occurred
because the writer was not sure how to write analytical papers, or because
the writer felt strongly about an issue raised in the text and allowed
those feelings to get in the way of the real assignment. In either
case, the paper should be used as "research notes" toward another paper
rather than as a first draft of a paper to be revised. Reading over
the paper carefully often reveals an issue that could become the thesis
of another paper, and much of the summary in the paper can be used to support
the argument.
|
|
| +/- | The plus or minus part of the grade represents the top and bottom of the letter grade rather than a different set of concerns. |
| These grades often reflect aspects of the author's of grammar and style
that mar an otherwise good paper or raise the reader's appreciation of
a paper whose content needs work. Making stylistic and grammatical
revisions can thus rarely raise a paper grade more than one of these subdivisions
(e.g.: from a "C" to a "C+").
|
Drew University Composition Program faculty.
|
|