Evaluative Criteria for Freshman Composition

A Paper (90-100) - Superior

Originality of thought and effectiveness

Logical, emphatic development of a central idea

Sophisticated, lively, and precise diction

Well-developed, effectively organized essay and paragraphs

Clear, engaging illustrative support

Mature and diversified sentence structure

Absence of errors in punctuation, usage, and spelling

An "A" paper must meet all the above criteria and is distinguished from the B paper by a more assured prose style, more creativity in form and content, more subtlety in rhetorical strategy.

B Paper (80-90) - Good

Convincing and engaging expression

Logical development of a central idea

Appropriate, lively, acceptable diction

Effectively organized essay and paragraphs

Detailed support of ideas

Correct, clear, and varied sentence structure

Absence of major errors in punctuation, usage, and spelling

A "B" paper should meet all the above criteria. In short, mere absence of errors will nor be rewarded with a B.

C Paper (70-79) - Competent

Clear Communication

Satisfactory development of a central idea

Appropriate diction

Satisfactory organization of essay and paragraphs

Adequate support of ideas

Some variety of sentence structure

Relative absence of major errors in punctuation, sentence structure, usage, and spelling

A "C" paper lacks the originality in content and form of "A" or "B" papers, contains more errors, and is less interesting. Though it is adequate and perhaps even mechanically correct, it lacks real distinction.

D Paper (60-69) - Deficient

Superficial, unclear, or repetitious content

Some instances of illogical thinking

Immature, simplistic diction

Poor organization of essay and paragraphs

Weak support of ideas

Awkward, monotonous sentence structure

Some *gross errors in punctuation, structure, usage, and spelling

Any of the preceding may result in a "D" paper. A combination of these characteristics, however, may result in an "F." Originality of style or thought will not excuse the deficiencies of the "D" paper.

F Paper (0-59) - Unacceptable

Confusing content

Flawed central idea

Inappropriate, unclear diction

Random organization of paragraphs

Unsupported generalizations

Awkward, wordy, or simplistic sentence structure

*Gross errors in punctuation, structure, usage, and spelling

An "F" paper displays any, though not all, of the above characteristics. In addition, failure to develop the assigned topic or to state a thesis automatically results in an "F."

*Gross errors include awkward/unclear sentence structure, fragments, fused sentences and comma splices, agreement mistakes, vague/unclear pronoun reference, faulty verb forms, unjustified tense shifts, faulty parallelism, and dangling and misplaced modifiers.