Content: Topic is extremely well focused and developed with originality, careful thought, unity, and logic; thesis is clearly stated or implied; support is relevant, substantial, and effective for audience.

Structure: Overall plan enhances purpose; thesis is placed effectively; sentences and paragraphs are divided, sequenced, and connected with great care and purpose.

Style: Word choices (tone and level) are effective and appropriate for purpose and audience; sentences are clear, concise, graceful, and effectively patterned for purpose and audience; point of view is appropriate and effective for purpose.

Mechanics: Rare errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and word usage.

 

B (Good)

Content: Topic is well focused and developed with care and clarity of thought and unity; thesis is well stated or implied; support is relevant, quite substantial, and usually effective for audience.

Structure: Overall plan assists purpose; thesis placement is useful; sentences and paragraphs are well divided, sequenced, and connected.

Style: Word choices (tone and level) are well chosen for purpose and audience; sentences are clear and usually concise, graceful, and well patterned for purpose and audience; point of view is appropriate and effective for purpose.

Mechanics: Infrequent errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and word usage .

Content: Topic is adequately focused, but development is trite or general for the audience; support for ideas is relevant and adequate.

Structure: Overall plan adequately matches purpose; ideas are adequately divided, sequenced and connected.

Style: Word choices (tone and level) are adequate; sentences are clear and concise; point of view is appropriate.

Mechanics: Occasional errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and word usage .

D (Poor/Below Average)

Content: Topic is vaguely focused; development of ideas is sketchy, irrelevant, or untrue.

Structure: Plan is ill-formed; division, sequence, and connection of ideas often inadequate.

Style: Word choices are often careless or vague; sentences sometimes unclear and wordy; point of view inconsistent or inappropriate for purpose.

Mechanics: More frequent errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and word usage .

Content: Central idea unclear and inadequately developed and supported.

Structure: Plan not clearly apparent; division, sequence, and connection of ideas inadequate.

Style: Word choices inappropriate or vague; sentences indirect, loosely worded, and unplanned; point of view inconsistent and inappropriate for purpose.

Mechanics: Frequent errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and word usage .

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