| Criteria | Levels of Achievement | Points Earned |
| Good/Excellent | Fair/Competent | Deficient |
| Content – Development | 100 to 120 points Major points are stated clearly and are well-supported. Content is persuasive and comprehensive. Content and purpose of the writing is clear. Thesis has a strong claim. The audience is clear and appropriate for the topic. Supportive information (if required) is strong and addresses writing focus.
| 60 to 99 points Major points are addressed but clarity or support is limited. Content is somewhat persuasive or comprehensive. Content is inconsistent (lack of clear purpose and/or clarity). Thesis could be stronger. Supportive information (if required) needs strengthening or does not address writing concepts.
| 0 to 59 points Major points are unclear and/or insufficiently supported. Content is missing essentials. Content has unsatisfactory purpose, focus, and clarity. Supportive information (if required) is missing.
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| Content – Organization and Structure | 30 to 40 points Writing is well-structured, clear, and easy to follow. Introduction compellingly forecasts the topic and thesis. Each paragraph is unified and has a clear central idea. Transitional wording is present throughout the writing. Conclusion is a logical end to the writing.
| 15 to 29 points Adequately organized with some areas difficult to follow. Introduction needs to provide a stronger gateway into the writing. Some paragraphs lack unity. Better transitions are needed to provide fluency of ideas. Conclusion is trite or barely serves its purpose.
| 0 to 14 points Organization and structure detract from the writer’s message. Introduction and/or conclusion is incomplete or missing. Paragraphs are not unified (more than one topic/missing or inadequate controlling and concluding sentences). Transitions are missing. Conclusion, if present, fails to serve its purpose.
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| Form – Grammar and Diction | 15 to 20 points The writing reflects grammatical, punctuation, and spelling standards. Language is accurate, appropriate, and effective. Writing’s tone is appropriate and highly effective.
| 8 to 14 points The writing contains some grammatical, punctuation, and/or spelling errors. Language is unclear, awkward or inappropriate in parts. The writing’s tone is generally appropriate and moderately effective.
| 0 to 7 points The writing contains many grammatical, punctuation and/or spelling errors. Language use is largely inaccurate or inappropriate. The writing’s tone is ineffective and/or inappropriate.
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| Form – Format | 15 to 20 points | 8 to 14 points Writing follows most formatting guidelines, but some flaws are detected. Parenthetical and bibliographical source citations are incorrectly formatted or used.
| 0 to 7 points | |
| Total | /200 |
| Instructor’s Comments: |
