Major Paper Grading Rubric ______ /100 points

A Range B Range C Range D or less

Introduction  Introduces paper  Introduces paper  Provides some  Provides no

topic by giving the by giving the context for paper context for
10 points
reader a clear and reader a general topic, but doesn’t paper topic.
specific context for idea of context. relate directly to  Fails to
the paper  Relates to and/or thesis or point. incorporate,
topic/claim. summarizes the  Barely relates to relate to or
 Incorporates the claims and ideas of claims and ideas summarize
claims and ideas of the essay. presented in the the claims
the essay and  Includes support or essay. and ideas of
emphasizes its outside sources in  Does not include the essay.
significance or a general way, but the support or  Paper topic is
importance. does not include outside sources unclear or
 Includes reference to specifics. used throughout does not
any support, outside  Provides a clear, essay. respond to
sources or specific recognizable topic.  Provides a topic. assignment.
ideas/concepts the  Around 5 or
author will be  Around 9-8 points  Around 7-6
points less
discussing.
 Draws reader in with
compelling and
relevant topic.
 Around 10 points

Thesis and  Thesis is  Thesis has  Thesis lacks  Thesis lacks

Purpose “surprising” or “tension,” “tension,” but “tension” or
“risky,” responds to responds to responds to the does not
30 points
assignment and assignment. assignment. respond to
reflects authors’  Essay’s purpose is Thesis is basic assignment.
purpose clear and responds and involves  There is no
 Essay’s purpose is to assignment. little critical thesis.
clear, shows thought.
 Thesis is logical  Essay’s
originality or and/or coherent,  Essay’s purpose purpose is
independent thought. but does not is somewhat unclear or
 Incorporates overall incorporate essay clear and does not
structure or organization. responds to the respond to
organization of assignment, but assignment.
 Around 27-24 reader has to
essay, order of points  Around 21 or
argument correlates work hard to get
there. less
with introduction of
thesis statement.  Thesis does not
 Around 30-28 points incorporate essay
organization.
 Around 25-22
points

Presentation  Topic Sentences  Topic Sentences  Topic Sentences  There are no

and identify paragraphs’ reflect most do not topic
Organization purposes, reflect paragraph content consistently sentences to
their content and but may not reflect paragraph introduce
30 points contribute to overall contribute to unity. content, but they paragraphs.
unity of the essay.  Transitions are present.  There are no
 Transitions indicate indicate  Transitions do transitions
relationships relationships not successfully between
between not only between indicate paragraphs.
paragraphs, but paragraphs. relationships  There is no
ideas.  Organization is between formal
 Organization is usually logical and paragraphs. organization
logical and purposeful  Organization is to each
purposeful.  Grammatical or present, but it is paragraph.
 The essay is free mechanical errors not logical or  Grammatical
from grammatical or do not distract easy to follow. or mechanical
mechanical error. from reading.  Grammatical or errors distract
 Around 30-28 points  Around 27-26 mechanical from reading
points errors distract to the point of
from reading. not making
 Around 25 - 24 meaning.
points  Around 23 or
less

Support and/or  Support and/or texts  Support texts,  Texts and  Essay lacks
Text Analysis are synthesized into examples and examples are not texts and
a conversation with evidence are properly examples that
20 points
one another and with generally synthesized into demonstrate
the student author. synthesized into a a conversation the author’s
 Support examples or conversation with with one another point.
texts are introduced one another and and with the  Supporting
and explained with the author. author. texts and
appropriately, giving  Texts are usually  Texts and examples do
context to the reader introduced and examples lack an not relate to
 Essay transitions into explained introduction that the essay
and out of quotes appropriately, gives context to points at all.
and supporting giving context to the reader.  Supporting
examples/evidence. the reader.  Essay relies too texts and
 Support is credible  Support generally heavily on examples are
and convincing. relates to the support texts and not credible
points given. author’s or convincing
 Around 20-19 points argument or at all.
 Support is credible
and convincing for voice is  Support is not
the most part. secondary or properly
non-existent (too documented.
 Around 18-16 many block
points quotes).  Around 14 or
less
 Support does not
come from a
credible source.
 Around 15 points

Conclusion  Conclusion  Conclusion relates  Conclusion  Conclusion

incorporates the to and/or restates the does not
10 points
claims and ideas of summarizes the claims and ideas relate to the
the essay and claims and ideas of of the essay, but essay, does
emphasizes its simply restates not restate the
 significance or the essay. thesis. claims or
importance.  Provides a sense of  Conclusion ideas.
 Provides a sense of closure for the exists, but  There is no
closure for the reader, introduce brand conclusion.
reader, demonstrating that new points,  Around 5 or
demonstrating that essay has therefore not less
essay has sufficiently sufficiently done providing closure
done the work it set the work it set out for the reader.
out to do in the claim to do in the claim  Conclusion does
or thesis. or thesis. not answer “So
 Answers the  Conclusion does What?,” does not
question, “So not answer the provide
What?,” providing question, “So relevance to the
relevance to the What?,” does not reader, and does
reader or suggests provide relevance not suggest a
relation to a broader to the reader, but relation to a
context either does suggest a broader context
socially or textually. relation to a either socially or
 Around 10-9 points broader context textually.
either socially or  Around 7-6
textually.
 Around 8 points