/ ACE101x – Academic English

Marking criteria - Essay Plan (Assessment Piece 1) Tip: When marking your peers’ assignments, you can highlight statements
or bullet points from different columns, then take the average or most
Note: Greyed-out sections are not assessed in this assessment piece, but will be assessed in later versions (Assessment Pieces 2 and 3). common column to get a mark. If in doubt, err on the side of generosity.

Absent
Excellent (4 points) Good (3 points) Fair (2 points) Poor (1 point)
(0 points)
The thesis statement is: The thesis statement is: The thesis statement is: The thesis statement is: Does not
• A single idea • Mostly a single idea • More than one idea • Many ideas meet any of
• Completely clear and concise • Mostly clear and concise • Somewhat clear or lacking in • Not clear, or rambling the previous
• Highly argumentative • Argumentative conciseness • Not argumentative descriptors
• Somewhat argumentative
Three or more contributing arguments Two contributing arguments directly relate Contributing arguments do not relate to the
Argument
directly relate to the thesis statement to the thesis statement One contributing argument directly relates thesis statement
to the thesis statement
The conclusion is very clearly stated and The conclusion is mostly clearly stated and The conclusion is not clearly stated and/or
flows logically from the evidence provided flows mostly logically from the evidence The conclusion is somewhat clearly stated does not flow logically from the evidence
provided and flows somewhat from the evidence provided
provided
Supporting evidence is: Supporting evidence is: Supporting evidence is: Supporting evidence is generally: Does not
• Completely sufficient (eight or • Mostly sufficient (six or seven • Somewhat sufficient (four or five • Not sufficient (three or fewer meet any of
more sources in total) sources in total) sources in total) sources in total) the previous
• Completely relevant to the • Mostly relevant to the • Sometimes relevant to the • Not relevant to the arguments descriptors
arguments made arguments made arguments made made
Supporting • Completely derived from quality
evidence • Mostly derived from quality • Sometimes derived from quality • Generally not derived from
sources sources sources quality sources
In-text references and the reference list are In-text references and the reference list are In-text references and the reference list are In-text references and the reference list are
completely free of errors and in APA style mostly free of errors and in APA style somewhat free of errors and in APA style generally not free of errors or not in APA
style, or are missing
The writing contains: The writing contains: The writing contains: The writing contains: Does not
• Frequent appropriate use of • Regular appropriate use of • Periodic appropriate use of • Infrequent appropriate use of meet any of
metadiscoursal elements* metadiscoursal elements* metadiscoursal elements* metadiscoursal elements* the previous
• Sentences in completely • Sentences in mostly academic • Sentences in generally academic • Sentences generally not in descriptors
academic tone tone tone, but lacking in places academic tone
• Ideas of others that are always • Ideas of others that are mostly • Ideas of others that are generally • Ideas of others that are not
Expression summarised appropriately summarised appropriately summarised appropriately, but always summarised
not consistently appropriately
The plan fully adheres to the expected The plan mostly adheres to the expected
structure of an academic essay and is free structure of an academic essay and is The plan generally adheres to the expected The plan does not adhere to the expected
of spelling and grammatical errors mostly free of spelling and grammatical structure of an academic essay, but not in structure of an academic essay and contains
errors all places and is somewhat free of spelling numerous spelling and grammatical errors
and grammatical errors