Caveat Scriptor: The following grading policies are provided by P. Aaron
Potter, an instructor of English at the University of California, Riverside,
for the benefit of his composition students. Other composition students
or instructors are welcome to make use of this material with the understanding
that while much of it reflects generally accepted writing practice, it is
also indicative of the personal tastes of the author and should in no way
be considered an authoritative document. This is material I give to
my students on how to succeed at writing in my class -- your
mileage may vary. All material is solely a product of P. Aaron Potter
and does not reflect the official policy or opinions of the Department of
English, the University of California, the government of the United States,
or the United Federation of Planets.
Grading Policy
-
Failure to turn in *one* assignment results in a zero ("F") for that assignment.
Failure to turn in *two* assignments results in a zero for those assignments
*and* a zero for the participation section of the grade. Failure to turn
in *three* or more assignments results in a failing grade in the class.
-
Late papers are automatically graded one full letter grade lower than they
would otherwise have merited (an "A" turns into a "B," for example). An
additional one-third letter grade is deducted for each additional day (not
class day, but every day) that the assignment remains outstanding (that is,
from a "B" to a "B-" to a "C+" and so on). If the assignment is as much as
a week overdue, then it counts as not being handed in, per the policy above.
-
Papers which are shorter than the required minimum will automatically be
given a grade of "F" (0 points). Please note that one sentence does not
constitute a "page" of writing -- the writing should extend at least half-way
down the page for it to be counted towards the minimum length requirements.
Material from other sources does not count towards the minimum page length.
-
This class adheres strictly to the University policy on academic dishonesty.
In general, essays in this class are graded upon the requirements outlined
in the University of California "Subject A" examination. A paper with such
significant flaws in organization, content, or mechanics that the meaning
is seriously impaired, or which demonstrates an inappropriate or incoherent
response to the essay prompt will not merit a passing grade.
-
A "C" essay is one which manages to competently convey information to the
reader -- it has logical organization with clear thesis statements, contains
coherent and complete sentences, appropriately answers the essay prompt,
and doesn’t have so many mechanical flaws that legibility suffers.
-
A "B" essay has all the characteristics of a "C" essay, and in addition displays
effective insights into the essay prompt (possibly acknowledging multiple
perspectives on the issue, or making particularly good choices about what
material to address), has fewer mechanical flaws, and has an organizational
scheme and general tone appropriate to the material.
-
An "A" essay has all the characteristics of a "B" essay, and in addition
displays few or no mechanical flaws, pays attention to appropriateness of
word choice and shifting tonality throughout the essay, displays a command
of pacing and sentence variety appropriate to the varied content of the essay,
and may display particularly thoughtful insights, or contain stylistic devices
which illuminate the material.
Individual Essay: 100 points possible, distributed as follows:
-
Grammar / Mechanics / Usage -- 30 points
-
Logic / Argument / Analysis / Evidence / Persuasion -- 40 points
-
Rhetoric / Style / Organization / Arrangement / Pacing -- 30 points
Numeric scores translate into letter grades according to the following scale.
Please note that the numeric scores of individual essays and assignments
are totalled and translated into a final letter grade only at the end of
the term.
Individual Essay: 100 points possible
100-96 = A+
95-91 = A
90-86 = A- |
85-81 = B+
80-76 = B
75-71 = B- |
70-66 = C+
65-61 = C
60-56 = C- |
55-51 = D+
50-46 = D
45-41 = D- |
40-36 = F+
35-00 = F |
How Points Are Awarded :
Grammar / Mechanics / Usage -- 30 points
-
30 points -- perfect paper, meaning of each sentence clear
-
25 points -- 1 or few minor errors (punctuation, word choice, spelling, etc.)
per page
-
20 points -- 1 major error (agreement, tense, etc.) or several minor errors
per page
-
15 points -- paper contains serious errors (fragment, etc.) which confuse
meaning
-
10 points -- meaning is consistently confused, grammar errors are pervasive
-
5 points -- meaning is frequently difficult to determine, multiple incoherent
sentences
-
0 points -- majority of paper is grammatically incorrect, fragmentary, or
incoherent
Logic / Argument / Analysis / Persuasion / Evidence -- 40 points
-
40 points -- Arguments are persuasive, logically correct, well illustrated,
and on-topic
-
35 points -- 1 or more flaws in above criteria, but generally well-argued
and logical
-
30 points -- at least one major logical error, irrelevant point, or significant
error
-
25 points -- multiple instances of poor evidence, unpersuasive argument,
oversimplification, irrelevance, or other flaws
-
20 points -- multiple logical errors or irrelevancies, failure to address
counter-argument, poor illustrations or unsupported claims
-
15 points -- arguments are consistently flawed, though some points may be
valid
-
10 points -- majority of arguments or points are flawed, illogical, unpersuasive,
or off-topic, though they may *appear* logical or topical from a surface
reading, or if assumptions are not examined
-
5 points -- only a few points or arguments are supportable, though key evidence
may be missing, and logic may be "glossed over" or only rudimentarily or
sporadically applied
-
0 points -- paper is essentially illogical, off-topic, or otherwise inappropriate
Style / Rhetoric / Organization / Pacing / Tone -- 30 points
-
30 points -- Style and tone are appropriate, paper is well organized and
readable
-
25 points -- 1 or few minor departures from proper organization or consistent
tone
-
20 points -- 1 major error (failure to declare thesis, inappropriate tone
or address, etc.) or several minor errors in rhetorical style, word choice,
pacing or organization
-
15 points -- multiple significant errors which detract from readability
(non-sequiturs, jumps in logic, fragmentary sentences, referent errors and
other grammatical errors which interfere with meaning and legibility), *or*
tone is consistently inappropriate
-
10 points -- meaning or legibility is consistently lost due to inaccurate
word choice, malapropism, disorganization, incorrect sentence structure,
sentences unrelated to their paragraph’s topic, or paragraphs unrelated
to the paper’s thesis)
-
5 points -- few paragraphs are related to primary thesis or sentences related
to paragraph topics, material is consistently illegible, fragmentary, or
otherwise confused
-
0 points -- paper’s meaning is essentially lost due to disorganization,
illegibility, fragmentary or incorrect sentence structure, or irrelevant
or inappropriate material