STUDENT:
SECTION:
ASSIGNMENT:
GRADE:
Official Grading Rubric for UWG English Department’s
First-Year Writing Program
C
B
A
D
F
To earn a “C” on an essay, a student must
1. Respond to the constraints of the assignment.
2. a. Focus on the topic.
b. Order the parts logically.
c.
Develop the parts with sufficient detail.
d. Divide the whole into logical paragraphs.
e.
Develop one clear assertion in each paragraph.
3. Provide a clear thesis.
4. Have a beginning, middle, and end.
5. Provide enough elaboration with appropriate examples
and analysis to make the intent understandable.
6. Have sufficient control of standard written English
that errors, including grammar, punctuation, and
spelling, if present, do not cause serious confusion.
To earn a “B” on an essay, a student must do 1 and
2 above and
7. Provide strong opening and closing paragraphs, with a
clear purpose and a sophisticated thesis.
8. Recognize complexities and show evidence of serious
consideration of the topic.
9. Support most points with appropriate, well-analyzed
examples and intelligent arguments.
10. Show clear logical development and organization
throughout.
11. Have few errors. If present, they must not interfere
with communication.
To earn an “A” on an essay, a student must do 1,
2, 7, and 8 above and
12. Support all points with appropriate, fully analyzed
examples and compelling, insightful arguments.
13. Show persuasive logical development and organization
throughout.
14. Maintain a distinctive voice and consistent viewpoint.
15. Have interesting, varied, logical sentences.
16. Have nearly error-free writing.
A “D” grade results from

Failing to clearly respond to the assignment, or

A lack of qualities listed in 2 and 3 above, or

Errors that cause substantial confusion or incoherence.
An “F” grade results from

Two or more of the faults listed in “D” above.
Constraints of the assignment include the following:
Required topic/text.
MLA Style
Strong, analytical thesis
Strong, assertive topic sentences
Textual support for argument
Sufficient workshop draft submitted? yes / no
Workshop attended? yes / no
Some Grading Notations
Agreement error: subject/verb or pronoun agreement
Agr.
Awkward sentence construction
Awk
Argument does not advance due to error in logic or in
Argu.
BQ
CS
Cliché
Contr.
DM
Diction
Frag
FQ
Integ.
LC or UC
MLA
Overgeneralization
Poss.
PV
Punc
Ref
RO
Slang
Sp
So What?
SS
Syn.
TS
Trans
VT
WW
WC
O
√
║
^
???
organization.
Put in block quote: four lines or more of quote go in block
quote format. pp.263; Ch.61
Comma splice pp.453-59, 515
Overused expression or idea
Be careful about contractions; know your audience (p.523)
Dangling Modifier
Problems with phrase or clause
Fragment pp.446-52
Floating Quote: All quotes must be introduced, cited and
analyzed.
Quote not integrated correctly. pp.261-264
Wrong case: Lower or upper case
Not MLA format. Tab 6.
Broad application of an idea—stereotyping and/or
assumptions not based in fact
Possessive form of word; pp.520-522
Passive voice creates wordy sentences—use active voice;
pp.395, 417-418
Error in punctuation. Ch 57-62
Unclear pronoun antecedent—not clear to whom your
pronoun refer; pp.478-82
Run-on sentence; pp.453-458
See Ch. 47 for advice about appropriate language
Spelling error
Your thesis is not fully developed. You are missing your
stance on the argument.
Sentence Structure Error
Syntax error
Topic Sentence needs revising. TS must be a claim.
Transition missing or needs more development (between
sentences and between paragraphs); pp.83-85, chart on
p.457
Verb tense error; pp.400-401
Wrong word/usage problem; Chapters 47-49
Word choice; Chapters 47-49
Circled information needs to be revised or deleted. Any “It
is” or “There are” phrases, or any variation thereof, need to
be deleted from formal writing. Ch 38.
Insightful remark
Move item (usually punctuation or quote marks)
Parallelism: Make sentence parallel for clarity
Insert here: usually a missing word or punctuation
Meaning is unclear
Delete
Close up space
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: