Holistic Scoring Rubric

A - EXCELLENT (85 - 100) - A Markedly Exceptional Performance

  • a comprehensive grasp of the subject matter is demonstrated, including an in-depth understanding of the relevant concepts, theories, and issues related to the topic addressed
  • an awareness of differing view-points is demonstrated and a rigorous assessment of these undertaken where relevant
  • an ability to think critically is demonstrated in the analysis, synthesis and evaluation of relevant information
  • a thoughtful statement of position is presented and defended through logical arguments and carefully selected supportive detail; the arguments presented build to a consistent conclusion
  • originality, insight, and creativity are demonstrated; the paper goes beyond repeating what others have said and contributes something new to our understanding of the topic
  • a clear, fluent, and concise style highlights a well-written, tightly argued, and logically structured essay
  • a virtually flawless mastery of all aspects of grammar, structure, and style is demonstrated

    B - SUPERIOR (70 - 84)- Clearly Above Average Performance

  • a thorough grasp of the subject matter is demonstrated
  • an awareness of differing view-points is demonstrated and an assessment of these attempted where relevant
  • the paper goes beyond description to interpretation, analysis, synthesis and evaluation
  • a position is adopted and logically argued; appropriate supporting detail is supplied
  • a clear style which communicates well (but may contain occasional or minor flaws in the mechanics of spelling, grammar, sentence structure, etc.) is evident in the logical presentation of a reasonable argument

    C - SATIsfACTORY (55 - 69) - A Fully Competent Paper

  • a basic grasp of the subject matter is demonstrated
  • accurate information incorporating relevant sources and references is conveyed
  • a position is adopted and logically argued
  • an adequate attempt at analysis, synthesis, interpretation or evaluation is evident
  • an acceptable style demonstrates an awareness of, and attention to, the principles of paragraph development, sentence structure, grammar and spelling, etc.

    D - POOR (40 - 54) - A Marginally Acceptable Paper

  • a lack of familiarity with the subject matter is demonstrated through the omission of key material, or through the misinterpretation of important concepts, theories or issues
  • a lack of critical thinking is evident in a paper which is more descriptive than interpretive; or in which the analysis and synthesis are logically flawed; or in which there is a reliance on assertion; or in which the relevance of supporting detail is questionable
  • a position is not taken, is hard to determine, or is inconsistent with arguments or information presented in the paper
  • there is a lack of originality and an over-reliance on material presented in class or in the assigned readings
  • written expression requires improvement in basic communication skills; or written communication is marred by inflated diction, overly complex sentence structures, or an obtuse style.

    F - FAILING (0 - 39) - An Unacceptable Performance

  • a basic lack of understanding of the subject matter is demonstrated through gross misinterpretation or omissions
  • there is little attempt to go beyond description; or interpretation and analysis demonstrates gross error in logic or supporting detail
  • little or no factual material is presented; or material presented contains gross factual error; or is completely irrelevant
  • written expression is disorganized, incoherent, poorly expressed, and contains unacceptably frequent or serious errors in grammar, sentence structure, and spelling

    OR
  • an attempt is made to use other authors' work without providing proper acknowledgment
  • an attempt is made to hand in a paper from another course
  • an attempt is made to write a paper on a topic other than that approved in writing by the instructor

    - marking criteria compiled by R. Runté and K. Mazurek

    NOTE:

  • parallelism is achieved by describing each dimension (e.g., "thoughtfulness" or "writing ability") at each criterion level (e.g., "A", "B", etc.)
  • descriptions are vaced on insturctor's experience with actual student papers. When too many papers do not match descriptors, criteria may need to be modified for subsequent years.
  • students may not achieve to the same level on each dimension; a student with four checks under "A" category, and one check under "B" category would be an "A-". A student with three ticks under "C" and two under "B" would be a "C+". And so on.