Grades on English Composition 101 Papers About Readings

A

This grade is given to the most effectively written papers. The information in an A paper has been carefully organized, and there are no significant omissions of ideas from the assigned essay. The writer's own ideas are insightful and original. Vivid, memorable details are included, along with some direct quotation from the assigned reading. The writer moves smoothly and logically from one idea to the next. The paper is clear and generally free of mechanical errors.

B

A B paper has above average organization. Its writer clearly understands the assigned essay. He or she provides effective ideas and examples from the essay and from his or her own experiences. The paper is clearly written but it may contain some wordy or awkward phrasing. The transitions between ideas are smooth but less effective than the transitions in an A paper.

C

The C is given to an average paper. Paragraphing in this paper is effective, but some specific support for general ideas may be missing. Minor misstatements of ideas from the essay or minor mechanical errors may lower an above average grade to a C. Transitions may be choppy, and the details may not all be in a logical order.

D

Little attempt was made to organize information effectively in a typical D paper. The paper may be wordy and awkward, jumping abruptly from one idea to the next. Serious mechanical errors (such as sentence fragments or run-on sentences) lower a grade to a D, as do serious misstatements of ideas from the assigned essay. A paper that includes few specific details but is otherwise acceptable would probably get a D.

F

An F paper may not be on the assigned topic, or, if it is on the topic, it may not provide an accurate summary of the ideas in the assigned reading. The paper may merely parrot material from the essay rather than explain it. Plagiarism (use of wording from the essay without using quotation marks and giving credit to the author) normally results in an F. The style of an F paper may be confused and awkward, making some of the sentences hard to follow. A clear pattern of writing errors (especially word ending errors) would result in an F. An F would also be given to a very general paper and to a paper noticeably shorter than 500 words.

REMINDERS: Name the author and the essay early in your paper. (Give enough information so that someone who picked up your paper on the street would be able to understand what you are writing about.) Refer to the author by her first and last name when you first name her; after that refer to her by her last name. You must summarize key points from the essay you chose and explain why you agree or disagree with them.