Critique Paper Requirements
English 102
In approximately 750 – 1,000 words, defend a claim (a thesis) about the persuasiveness of the
article by describing, analyzing and evaluating the evidence and reasoning.
The paper will be scored on the following eight categories. Each will receive a score of 4, 3, 2, 1 or
0 (corresponding to the letter grades A – F). The total grade will be an average of those scores.
Completeness (C)
 Author and article introduced briefly for readers who are not familiar with them
 Thesis and all the main points clearly and concisely identified
 Details and examples provided where essential to the reader’s understanding
Accuracy (A)
 No distortions, errors or misrepresentations of the author’s ideas, whether implicit or explicit
 No material (examples, ideas, opinions) added to the summary that is not in the original
 The structure or relationship among ideas is accurately represented
 Relative importance of ideas is clear (which are primary, which are secondary)
 Sequence of ideas is correct
 Ideas are given the appropriate amount of space
Thesis (T)
 Makes a claim about the article’s persuasiveness
 All parts of the paper help to support the thesis
 Thesis is arguable
 Thesis is a single, unified (though maybe complex) idea
Evidence Analysis (EA)
 Identifies some key pieces of evidence in the article
 Shows how the evidence is intended to support the conclusion
Evidence Evaluation (EE)
 Discusses whether the evidence is sufficient, with reasons
 Discusses whether the evidence is relevant, with reasons
 Discusses whether the evidence is representative, with reasons
Reasoning Analysis (RA)
 Identifies some of the key assumptions, whether explicit or implicit, in the article
 Shows how these assumptions are crucial to the article’s thesis
Reasoning Evaluation (RE)
 States whether the assumptions are valid, true or reasonable (these terms are, for our
purposes, synonymous; use whichever one makes the most sense to you), with reasons.
 Alternatively, the essay may identify some fallacies in the article.
Language (L)
 Most of the paper is in your own words
 Occasional brief and completely accurate quotations provided as needed to give the flavor
of the original or capture an exact thought
(over)
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The mechanics (punctuation, spelling and grammar) are correct
The paper provides clear transitions when moving from one idea to the next.
 Paper has an effective introduction and conclusion
The style is objective, formal, concise, precise and varied
Possible Theses
Your thesis will take the form of a claim about the article’s persuasiveness. It will probably take
one of the following three forms:
 The article is persuasive because the evidence and reasoning are good.
 The article is not persuasive because the evidence and/or reasoning is bad.
 The article is somewhat persuasive because
 The evidence is good but the reasoning is bad
 The reasoning is good but the evidence is bad
 Both the reasoning and the evidence are strong in places but weak in others
Note that there are many ways each of these can be true.
A Note on What Grades Mean
Please take some time to think about what a grade means. What does it take to earn an A (4.0)?
What does a C (2.0) represent? Can you earn a B by simply going through the motions, meeting
the minimum requirements of the assignment? Does a C mean complete failure?
Here is a general description of what the grades mean to me. For more details, see the “Grade
Guideline” on the course website. Quoted descriptions are adapted from the UW’s Faculty
Resource on Grading (http://depts.washington.edu/grading/practices/guidelines.html).
An “A” (4.0) is awarded for truly outstanding or superior work. It indicates “superior
performance in all aspects of the course (or assignment) with work exemplifying the highest
quality. Unquestionably prepared for subsequent courses (or assignments) in field.”
A “B” is awarded for high quality work. It indicates “high quality performance in some of the
course (or assignment); satisfactory performance in the remainder. Good chance of success in
subsequent courses (or assignments) in field.
A “C” is awarded for adequate work that meets minimal requirements but not much more. It
indicates “some learning but generally marginal performance. Marginal chance of success in
subsequent courses (or assignments) in field.”
A “D” is awarded for substandard work or work with significant flaws. It indicates “very
minimal learning and very low quality performance in all aspects of the course (or assignment).
Highly doubtful chance of success in subsequent courses (or assignments) in field.”
An “F” is awarded for completely unacceptable or missing work . It indicates “complete absence
of evidence of learning. Totally unprepared for subsequent courses (or assignments) in field.”
Of course, low grades might indicate failure to follow instructions rather than lack of learning.