Letter Grades in College English College instructors usually consider these four features when they evaluate writing. Length and Manuscript Format Topic “Mechanics” (Punctuation, Grammar, Spelling) Organization

An “A” means “Excellent.” An “A” paper * Meets minimum and maximum lengths required by the assignment prompt. Is typed in correct MLA (Modern Language Association) format and submitted on time. * Centers on an allowed topic, has a clear, precise, interesting thesis, demonstrates the specifics of the topic in examples or analysis, is not obvious or general, has good ideas and a bright title. *Might have up to 2 or 3 minor errors per page (for instance, small typos or omitted commas). Otherwise, all spelling, punctuation, word choice, verb tense, and sentence structure are correct. * Is organized so that thesis and following paragraphs reinforce each other, has a beginning/middle/end with no repetitions or gaps. The reader is guided smoothly through the paper’s many points.

A “B” means “Good.” A “B” paper * Meets minimum and maximum lengths required by the assignment prompt. Is typed in correct MLA (Modern Language Association) format and submitted on time. * Centers on an allowed topic; has a clear, precise, thesis; a B level thesis may be clear but not as inventive as an A, or inventive but not as clear; demonstrates the topic in mainly specific examples or analysis; B level support may fall into generality once or twice but still be mostly strong. *Is largely in control of grammar, punctuation, spelling. The paper is mainly easy to read. However, a B paper may have five or more small errors per page or one moderate error (such as a fragment or agreement error) per page. *Has an evident beginning/middle/end, a good thesis, and full paragraphs. B level organization errors might end up being a gap or repetition somewhere in the paper or a weak intro or conclusion. The problem would appear once and not extend throughout the paper.

A “C” means “Adequate to Pass.” A “C” paper * Meets minimum and maximum lengths required by the assignment prompt. Is typed in correct MLA (Modern Language Association) format and submitted on time. * Centers on an allowed topic; has a thesis although the thesis may be general or vague. For example, a “C” thesis for an analytical assignment may be barely analytical. A “C” paper provides scant, overly general, obvious, or insufficiently explained support. Examples may be vague, rare, or repetitious. * Is barely in control of grammar and punctuation. There are several mistakes throughout the paper, but it is still readable and does not have any significant portions that are incomprehensible. *Has enough structure to make the paper comprehensible, but may have one or two notable errors, such as an inappropriately large or small section, a barely existent conclusion, or needless repetition. The structure of the “C” paper does not help the reader very much.

A “D” means “not passing.” A “D” paper * May not meet minimum page requirements specified by the prompt. May have incorrect manuscript format. *May not focus on a topic allowed by the assignment prompt, or may not demonstrate the structure or rhetorical process required by the assignment. May have no functional thesis. * May have several sections that are mechanically incorrect and incomprehensible. May contain enough serious grammar errors to demonstrate the student’s inability to write clear, correct English. * May have serious organizational errors: missing introduction or conclusion, severely insufficient or confused thesis support. A non-passing paper may seem to have no forward path, may seem to move randomly from statement to statement. *A “D” paper may fail to pass for any one of the above reasons.

An “F” means “failed.” An “F” paper *Is completely inadequate in two or more of the following categories: length/format, topic, mechanics, or organization.