ASSESSSMENT CRITERIA FOR ENGLISH M.A. EXAMINATIONS
STUDENT NAME: _______________________ EXAM YEAR AND TERM:_________________
OVERALL EXAM EVALUATION:_________________
For each assessment criterion, the DGS should enter a rating of exceeds/meets/does not meet in the right
column. This sheet should be filled out, one for each examinee, at the meetings for the spring and summer
exams, in consultation with the exam committees.
Assessment Criteria
Exceeds
Meets
Does Not Meet
These exams are
These exams are
These exams do not
characterized by
characterized by an
demonstrate an
superior quality of adequate to competent adequate quality of
thought, scholarship,
quality of thought,
thought, scholarship,
and writing skills.
scholarship, and
and writing skills.
writing skills.
These exams
These exams
These exams
demonstrate:
demonstrate:
demonstrate:
Response to Question -consistent and full
-consistent or
-no consistent
responses to the exam somewhat consistent responses to the exam
questions
responses to the exam questions
questions
Knowledge of
-in-depth scholarly
-adequate to
-inadequate scholarly
literature and literary engagement with the competent scholarly
engagement with
terms
material under
engagement with the material under
discussion
material under
discussion
discussion
-no factual errors
-several factual errors
-few factual errors
-strong grasp of
-inadequate grasp of
common literary terms -adequate to competent literary terms
grasp of literary terms
Argument
Use of Theory
Sentence-level
Writing Skills
-clear thesis
-competent or
-no thesis
somewhat clear thesis
-clearly organized
-disorganized
reasoning
-organized or
reasoning
somewhat organized
- evidence provided for reasoning
-evidence not provided
all interpretive
for interpretive
assertions
-evidence provided for assertions
some or most
interpretive assertions
-sophisticated use of -adequate to competent -poor or no use of
theoretical knowledge use of theoretical
theoretical knowledge
to elucidate meanings knowledge to elucidate to elucidate meanings
in literary
meanings in literary
in literary
interpretation
interpretation
interpretation
-sentences are clearly -some or most
-few sentences are
and precisely written sentences are clearly clearly and precisely
and precisely written written
Ratings