Grading Essays:
Guidance to Teaching Associates
Concerning 100- and 300-level Courses
Here are some general guidelines for grading essays in 100- and 300-level
courses:
An "A" essay is one that is both logically organized and factually sound. It
should answer each of the sub-questions in a clear, well-argued fashion backed
by appropriate supporting detail. It should not contain serious factual errors
or irrelevant points. Most "A" essays are really "A-" essays. A
truly "A"-caliber essay shows flair and clear evidence of a mind independently
engaged in understanding the material, not simply rehearsing the material as
presented in the textbook and/or lectures.
A "B" essay is also logically organized and factually sound (with perhaps one
misstep). It should attempt to address each of the sub-questions (if the essay
question is structured that way), although the argument will not be as capably
argued. An average student who has really studied should be able to write a "B"
essay.
A "C" essay has noticeable organizational problems. It is generally sound
factually but is noticeably spotty on details. It may contain some irrelevant
material. Connections tend to be asserted rather than demonstrated, but you can
still see some effort to make connections.
A "D" essay has serious organizational problems. It will make a number of
factual mistakes but will at least show some idea of what a satisfactory essay
would look like. It may contain a lot of irrelevant material--a "memory dump."
An "E" essay is perfectly awful. You will know it when you see it. If you get
one, be sure to give the student no more than 35% of the points possible—it
avoids wheedling for a few extra points and drives home the gravity of the poor
performance.
The following is by a colleague of mine. Its standards are more
appropriate, in my opinion, to a 500-level than a 100- to 300-level course, but
you may find it useful as background:
Believe it or not grading essays is almost as difficult as writing them. The uniqueness of essays means that, unlike multiple-choice or short identification questions, there usually exists no single "correct" answer – I cannot read an essay and say immediately "this is right" or "this is wrong." Instead, when determining the overall grade for an essay I must take into account a variety of factors: style (clarity of expression and effectiveness of the writing) content (factual accuracy and inclusion, or non inclusion, of relevant materials), organization (logical layout, appropriateness of documentation, and presentation of a well-developed interpretation/analysis), and the essay’s overall relationship to course materials. Stated differently, the grades I assign to essays written in this class are based on the quality of your writing, the clarity of your paper’s organization, the persuasiveness of your arguments, and a display of your thoughtful reading of the assignments.
Students often ask, "If I want to get an 'A,' what do I need to do?” There exists no specific answer to this question – I cannot say "In order to get an 'A' you must do the following." However, what I can do is tell you, in very broad terms, what types of papers generally receive what types of grades. Making certain that your essay meets all of the criteria for a certain grade will usually help avoid disappointment when the assignment is returned.
"E" Essays
These essays are short and jumbled. Students are unlikely to have done much reading or to have understood the lectures and discussions. Essays in this range will have no clear argument or only an unsubstantiated argument. Often, "E" essays are totally off the point, providing virtually nothing in content. The standard of English may be very weak or even appalling.
"D" Essays
Essays in this range are poor work, substantially below average. Students will probably only cursorily have done the reading, if at all, and will show no evidence of having thought about that which they did read. The standard of English is almost always poor, but makes some sense and shows minimal signs of structure and organization. Almost always "D" essays have large gaps in their content, have little if any focus, and contain seriously inaccurate information.
"C" Essays
Essays receiving an "C" answer most of the question, but may also omit significant aspects of it. These essays will show evidence that the student read the basic material for the course and has a reasonable understanding of it. In general, essays in this range are reasonably well structured and the material is coherently presented. Often the essay is rather predictable and lacks liveliness, with little appreciation of subtleties of interpretation; the writing is more descriptive than analytical. There will be occasional inaccuracies, but no fundamental misunderstandings. I expect that these essays have a competent standard of English with any problems in spelling or grammar not so extreme as to render the work unintelligible or difficult to understand.
"B" Essays
These essays are soundly written and well-argued, showing good competence and familiarity with the assigned readings and the information covered in course. Essays in this range will show a clear understanding of the issues raised in the course. All important information related to the question is covered in a reasonably well structured, clearly written, and well presented essay. I expect to see evidence that the student has thought about and understood the topic. At the higher end of this band ("B+") essays will show confidence in handling complex material. The essay should contain no major omissions in the coverage of the topic, nor any significant errors of understanding or interpretation. Essays receiving a "B" have only minor errors in spelling and grammar.
"A" Essays
Essays receiving an "A" are works of an excellent standard. Students writing such essays demonstrate that they have read all of the readings with care and show a thorough understanding and appreciation of the material required for the assignment. Essays receiving an "A" have a clear structure, develop coherent arguments, and show signs of original or critical thought. I expect an excellent standard of English in "A" essays with only minor, of any, errors of spelling or grammar. Essays in this class will be a pleasure to read and will stand out from the rest of their group. Students may take risks and challenge accepted opinion, but support their assertions with well-reasoned, accurate evidence. "A" essays show flair, maturity and confidence.