86 3. The Grading Rubric and What It Means
The following rubric will be used by graders to determine how successful your paper is. They will not use letter grades but will use numbers (4-1) to grade the essays. A 3-4 paper is passing; a 1-2 paper is failing. Graders judge your paper based on a holistic approach. In other words, a few grammatical errors won’t fail the paper if it has good organization and support and coherence. They judge the entire essay.
Essays that receive a 3 or a 4 pass the final in-class essay test.
4 Exceeds An essay that exceeds the writing proficiency for English 101 has a clear thesis and fully develops and supports that thesis; is consistently organized, clear and unified; exhibits a mature, individual sense of style and indicates an ability to use vocabulary effectively; consistently indicates an excellent understanding of grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure; and addresses the prompt.
3 Meets An essay that meets the writing proficiency for English 101 has a thesis and adequately supports that thesis; is generally organized, clear and unified; indicates a college-level command of vocabulary; indicates an understanding of grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure; and addresses the prompt.
Essays that receive a 1 or a 2 fail the final in-class essay test.
2 Approaches An essay that approaches the writing proficiency for English 101 has one or more of the following weaknesses. It has a thesis but does not adequately develop or support it; is poorly organized, unclear or lacks unity; is awkward or immature, indicating an inadequate command of vocabulary; has frequent problems with grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure; or addresses a related topic, but does not directly address the prompt.
1 Fails An essay that fails to meet the writing proficiency for English 101 has one or more of the following weakness. It suggests a central idea but does not clearly or adequately support it; is poorly organized, unclear, and lacks unity; is awkward or immature, indicating a poor command of vocabulary; has significant problems with grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure; or does not address the prompt.