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| Audience Awareness: From title on, essay engages readers in an academic environment, using appropriate language and tone. |
Essays typically have:
- A mature sense of voice and awareness of a specific audience
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Essays typically have:
- Appropriate use of language and awareness of audience
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Essays typically have:
- Attention to audience but language use that could be expanded
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Essays typically have:
- A lack of audience awareness and often a limited use of language
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Essays typically have:
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Thesis: Thesis is clear and well developed. It interests and challenges readers, and takes a stand, offering direction and purpose.
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- An insightful, well-crafted thesis
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- A relevant, purposeful thesis
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- A reasonable thesis, even if its claim is lacking depth or complexity
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- An inadequate, simplistic, or off-topic thesis
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| Development: Essay examines ideas in depth and with support; paragraphs are clear, interesting, and convincing. |
- Developed paragraphs that strongly support the essay's purpose and emphasize its relevance
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- Developed paragraphs that support the essay's purpose
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- Sustained and unified paragraphs that support the essay's purpose
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- Underdeveloped paragraphs, often lacking consistency
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- Weak development of ideas
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| Structure: Essay is well-organized, flowing easily and logically throughout the work. Transitions, quotations, and signal phrases are used to move the essay forward smoothly and clearly. |
- A close and careful examination of evidence, transitioning between stylistic elements smoothly and effectively
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- A skillful examination of evidence, using transitions and stylistic elements effectively
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- A balanced argument with evidence, including transitions and signal phrases
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- Ideas presented awkwardly and out of order
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- Chaotic organization, with no overall sense of direction
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| Grammatical Control: Grammar is controlled, with spelling and punctuation used successfully. |
- Strong, correct use of grammar, providing a near-seamless read
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- Effective use of grammar, with only minor errors
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- Sentences that demonstrate grammatical control, with few serious errors
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- A lack of grammatical control, with many distracting errors
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- Constant, severe grammar errors
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| Academic Conventions: MLA format is required, including document design, quoting, and citation format. |
- All sources incorporated and cited expertly via various rhetorical techniques
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- All sources incorporated and cited skillfully and effectively
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- All or most sources cited correctly
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- Sources used incorrectly or unclearly, and/or without proper citation
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- No sources, sources used haphazardly, or plagiarized sources
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