PaperGradingCriteria

Paper Grading Criteria

I grade writing according to five criteria: Focus, Development, Style, Organization, and Conventions. All of these items factor 20% in the total grade for a final draft. However, these categories are not always mutually exclusive; i.e., lots of conventional errors can reduce the style score and so on. Below I write a brief description of each criterion.

This criterion involves, first, the appropriateness of the topic for a particular project, and secondly, how well the writer sticks to it. Some writers seem to have a hard time staying focused, and seem to aimlessly drift from topic to topic. Other writers have a split focus; that is, they try to talk about unrelated topics in the same writing. Some writers make the mistake of forming too broad a focus for a very short essay.

Usually most problems with focus are easily solved with proper Organization. Mapping a paper onto an outline is almost guaranteed to help you focus a paper. Students who are in doubt about whether their topic is appropriate should always consult me about it before spending time writing about it.

Key Questions

• Has the author stayed on the topic specified by the assignment?
• Has the author chosen a focus that is neither too broad nor too narrow?

By "development," I mean how well writers use details, arguments, and research. How well has the writer supported generalizations, described scenarios, and provided evidence? Since development is such a difficult concept for students to grasp, I have further divided this criterion into three categories for clarification: Physical, Emotional (or Mental), and Critical.

Physical Details

Physical details involve items in the "real world," that is, facts or opinions involving one of the five senses. To support the generalization that "the lawyer is well dressed" requires a good bit of physical detail before the reader will be able to "see" the outfit, rather than just taking the writer's word for it. What type of garments was she wearing? What color were they? What materials? Writers who skimp on physical details often leave us without any mental pictures; they repeatedly TELL us what they should SHOW us. It's all too common to find generalizations in student writing that are not properly substantiated with evidence. A good rule of thumb to follow is that if you can't backup a generalization with specific details, don't make it.

Examples of specific details:

• Joe is a very reliable worker—he hasn't missed a day of work in over three years.
  • Note how the second part provides a specific detail supporting the generalization.
• Dan's 2000 Mazda Miata is a Special Edition model, which features an all-leather interior, real wood steering wheel, and a 6-speed transmission instead of the standard five.
  • Lots of specific details here which explains "Special Edition."
• The topic of this course has proven very interesting to students. Of the 1,200 students surveyed, 1,000 indicated they had great interest in the topic, 100 indicated they had no interest in the topic, and 100 indicated they did not feel strongly either way.
  • The first sentence is a generalization; the second provides some quantitative data to support it.
• This course will involve extensive reading. I require students to read over 200 pages of the textbook per week.
  • Here we have a specific detail to support the first sentence, which is a generalization.

Emotional or Mental Details

These details do not concern what can be seen, heard, and so on, but rather what the author feels internally. Let's say you wanted to describe a Honda Civic. If you described what it looked like, you'd be giving physical details. If you described how you felt about the car and its appearance, you'd be providing emotional details. Emotional details are important because they let the reader know the writer's attitude towards items mentioned in the writing.

Examples of emotional details:

• Whenever Dan drives his Miata, all his problems seem to fade away. He loves his car and the freedom of the open road.
  • This kind of detail tells you about Dan's emotional state rather than physical details about the car's engine or body.
• Seeing homeless people always makes me feel depressed.
  • The author here is telling (as opposed to showing) the reader how she feels.
• When I saw my report card, I felt my stomach start to churn.
  • Though not as explicit as the above example, this sentence clues readers in to the writer's emotional state—our "stomach churns" when we get nervous or start to panic. Revealing emotion this way is often more effective than just statements like "I got nervous."

Critical Details

This final category is the most difficult, yet the most important, for writers to grasp. Here, we are answering the question Why. Why do we feel a certain way about a topic? Why do we believe as we do? This involves "stepping out" of the action for a moment and trying to come to some understanding of motive. Why do you find a certain book enjoyable? Why do you find a certain body type beautiful? What factors have influenced you to feel the way you do about a person?

Examples of critical details:

• Dan thinks that it's the Miata that makes him feel good, but it's the compliments and envious looks he gets from his friends and strangers that build his confidence and make driving such a pleasure for him.
  • Here, the author is offering an intellectual argument about why Dan enjoys his Miata. Note that one key of writing arguments is that it leaves room for people to disagree; it's not just a statement of fact.
• These statistics indicate that we need to emphasize public speaking skills. Teachers are boring students by speaking in a monotone and not using enough gestures.
  • Here is an argument to explain what needs to be done to increase students' interest in their courses. Again, it's only one argument among many that could be made.
• Videogames do not make children violent. The children who committed these crimes already predisposed towards violence by their environment and lack of parental involvement.
  • Here we have critical details that support the opening argument.

Superior writing balances all three of these types of detail into a coherent whole. Next time you read a passage, try to identify the type of details each sentence provides.

Key Questions

• Is the paper within the assignment's specified word limit?
• Are the author's arguments properly supported by convincing details and

reasoning?

• Are generalizations supported by sufficient specific details?
• Are there terms or concepts that may confuse the intended audience?

Organization is a critical aspect of good writing. Well organized writers take into consideration the order with which a reader will receive the document. How well does the introduction set up the paper? Ideally, it will tell the reader a lot of pertinent information about the paper's topic, its scope, coverage, and order. Organization also concerns transitions between sentences and paragraphs--do the ideas flow in a logical and predictable fashion? Proper use of conjunctions (and, but, or) and transitory phrases (on the other hand, however) are essential. Organization also involves the last paragraph, commonly called the "conclusion," or "closing statement," which usually sums up the paper and reiterates the key points under consideration.

The introduction should (a) explain clearly what the paper is about, (b) identify the scope of the paper; i.e., what it intends to cover, (c) present the argument, (d) identify the theory, scholarship, or experimentation that forms the basis of the article, and (e) describe how the paper is organized.

Good section-headings can help improve the readability of an article, especially a longer one. Note that you cannot expect a subheading or section heading to do the work of transitional phrases or words!

The conclusion should (a) clarify argument, if needed, (b) return to main points and recount what has been said, (c) suggest further reading (if needed), (d) call for action (if needed), (e) describe what is missing from the paper or research that still needs to be done.

Key Questions

• Does the paper have an effective title?
• Does the paper have a clearly discernible argument?
• Does the introduction set up the paper well and make the purpose of the document clear to the reader?
• Are the transitions between sentences and paragraphs smooth?

Style involves construction of sentences, word choices, figurative language, and readability. Papers with superb style seem to flow magically from the page and delight readers with powerful, memorable prose. Style is a complex subject that would take a long time to develop here, but most writing can be improved stylistically by removing cliches, cleaning up awkward sentences, and avoiding language that may offend or insult an audience. Strunk and White's Elements of Style is an invaluable resource for learning about writing style. Authors who have developed an effective style can often get away with serious deficiencies in all the other categories if readers simply enjoy the documents too much to be overtly critical!

Good style usually involves the use of vivid metaphors and clear, concise examples.

Key Questions

• Does the text make the right kind of impression on the intended audience?
• Do sentences flow smoothly, with a minimum of passive voice and confusing sentence structures?
• Are word choices logical and precise?
• Has the author made an economical use of language, or are sentences unnecessarily long and "wordy?"

Conventions are the easiest aspect of writing to master. I say this because all of the other criteria are subjective; what one writer considers to be good style, another may condemn as trite or overblown. Grammar and mechanics, on the other hand, can be checked against a fairly universal standard of correctness--a grammar book. Any trained editor can recognize a comma splice, sentence fragment, or misplaced modifier. Learning about "conventions" simply means memorizing a basic set of rules and applying them. What could be easier?

Key Questions

• Does each sentence conform to the norms of Standard Edited English?
• If the document involves citing sources, has the author correctly used a recognized citation system like MLA or APA?

Writers who deviate widely from convention may confuse readers and give the often unfair impression of a sloppy or ignorant writer. Therefore, a paper with a really low score in the convention category will probably also suffer in Style and even Development.

---