An “A” Paper is considered “excellent” and shall be characterized by the following: outstanding preparation; keen observance of the writing process; insightful understanding and development of the topic; excellent use of structure at the essay level (Introduction, Body, Conclusion), the paragraph level (Topic Sentence, One Paragraph = One Idea), and at the sentence level (appropriate knowledge of sentence combining strategies and sentence boundaries); mature use of language; proper consideration of audience; proper use of mechanics, grammar, syntax, spelling, and diction; the essay should be as close to error free as possible—however, it does not need to be perfect in order for a student to receive an “A” on an assignment.
A “B” Paper shall be considered “competent/able/solid” and should demonstrate the following: good preparation; competent understanding and development of topic—this essay should make solid use of the subject matter, but it is clearly not as developed or as insightful as the “A” paper; able use of the writing process; competent adherence to structure; good use of language; a consideration of audience—although not as clear as in the “A” paper; able use of mechanics, grammar, syntax, spelling, and diction; errors may occur, but they are relatively few and do not interrupt the flow of the paper.
A “C” Paper is “adequate” and is the minimum standard for acceptable college-level writing. It is characterized by the following: adequate preparation, sometimes even marginally so; satisfactory understanding and development of the topic and subject matter—however, one may notice occasional deviations from the topic, and the essay is clearly not as developed as the “B” paper; appropriate adherence to writing process; proper use of structure, but occasional breakdowns will be apparent; the paper may not have a clear understanding of audience; marginal use of mechanics, grammar, syntax, spelling, and diction; errors become more frequent and may become a hindrance to comprehension.
A “D” Paper is “inadequate” and represents an unacceptable level of expertise for college-level writing. It is characterized by the following: inadequate preparation; unsatisfactory understanding and development of topic; frequent deviations from subject matter; inappropriate use of writing process; poor use of structure, with more than occasional breakdowns; the paper has little or no idea of audience; inadequate use of mechanics, grammar, syntax, spelling, and diction; errors are definitely a hindrance to comprehension.
An “F” Paper is “inferior” and is characterized by the following: little or no work on the writing assignment at all; gross miscomprehension of subject matter; no understanding of audience; little or no use of the writing process; little or no development of topic; gross misuse of mechanics, grammar, syntax, spelling, and diction; the paper is so riddled with errors as to be virtually incomprehensible.