English 47 Grading Criteria for Analysis Papers

1.         Analysis Features                                                                                                           10%

a.       Does the introduction frame a specific question at issue?

b.       Does the essay offer a clear, workable thesis statement that engages one of the assignment options?

c.       Does the essay offer focused, relevant supporting paragraphs?

d.       Does the essay conclude clearly and smoothly?

2.         Organization and Transitions                                                                                                               10%

a.        Are the body paragraphs focused (i.e. one main idea per paragraph) and coherent (i.e. understandable)?

b.       Are the ideas clearly and logically arranged to facilitate easy reading?

c.        Are the transitions between sentences smooth and natural?

d.       Are the transitions between paragraphs smooth and natural?

3.         Development                                                                                                                                                     20%

a.       Does the essay effectively explain important ideas on the subject?

b.       Does the essay provide specific details, clear explanations, and helpful illustrations and examples?

 4.     Use of Evidence                                                                                                                                                    20%

            Does the essay provide clear, specific, textual evidence (ie. quotes) that supports the analysis? 

5.     Logic and Critical Thinking                                                                                                                                    20%

a.        Does the essay offer thoughtful analysis and go beyond the obvious (i.e. does it go beyond summarizing?)?

b.       Does the essay use sound logic to make connections and offer insight?

c.        Does the essay clearly explain the grounds for the specific position taken?  In other words, has the writer explained why he or she believes as he or she does?

6.    MLA Setup and Proper Integration and Punctuation of Quotations                                                                     10%

a.        Is the essay setup in MLA format--including heading, margins, spacing, font, title, page numbers, headers?

b.       Does the essay integrate and punctuate quotations correctly?

c.        Does the essay effectively integrate words and ideas from appropriate sources to support, illustrate, and/or develop ideas?

d.            Do the quotes logically relate the ideas in the paragraph?

e.            Are quotes woven into the writer’s own words (in other words, are there no freestanding quotes?)?

f.             Are titles of articles, chapters, and essays in quotation marks?  Are titles of books, magazines, and newspapers italicized?

7.     Surface and stylistic features                                                                                                                                    10%

a.        Does the essay use correct punctuation, grammar, and spelling to facilitate easy reading?

b.       Is the sentence structure sophisticated (i.e. sentence variety and subordination) and word choice appropriate for an academic audience?

c.        Are unclear or awkwardly worded sentences at a minimum? 

d.       Are there a minimum of sentence boundary errors (i.e. fragments, fused sentences, and comma splices)?