F to D+ : Limited effort, no clear argument, failure to answer the assigned question.

C- : The essay contains a basic argument related to the assignment.

C : The essay contains an argument; some ideas are clearly expressed; the essay demonstrates a reasonable grasp of grammatical rules.

C+ : The essay contains a clear argument; some paragraphs have an identifiable focus; several ideas are clearly expressed; a significant portion of the essay obeys grammatical rules.

B- : The essay contains a thesis statement, which correctly identifies the central argument; many paragraphs have an identifiable focus and some have topic sentences; many of the ideas are clearly expressed; the essay supports some of its assertions with evidence and/or logical demonstrations; most of the sentences obey grammatical rules.

B : The essay contains a clear and interesting thesis statement; all of the paragraphs have a clear focus and most of them have topic sentences; most of the ideas are clearly expressed; the essay supports most of its assertions with strong evidence and/or logical demonstrations; almost all of the sentences follow grammatical rules; the style of the essay is smooth and somewhat engaging.

B+ : The essay contains a clear and interesting thesis statement; some of the arguments demonstrate considerable thought about a given issue; all of the paragraphs have a clear focus and most of them have topic sentences; almost all of the ideas in the essay are clearly expressed; all of the assertions are supported with strong evidence and/or logical demonstrations; there are no significant grammatical mistakes; the style is smooth and easy to read.

A- : The essay contains a clear and provocative thesis statement; many of the arguments demonstrate considerable thought about a given issue; the essay demonstrates an ability to move beyond clichés and commonplace assumptions about the topic; the essay is well organized; all of the ideas are clearly expressed; all of the assertions are well-supported; there are no major grammatical mistakes; the style is smooth and involves creative use of rhetorical strategies

A: The essay offers an original or surprising perspective upon an issue and careful critical thought; the essay contains a clear and provocative thesis statement; there are very few clichés; the essay is well organized; all of the ideas are clearly expressed; all of the assertions are well-supported; there are no major grammatical mistakes; the style is smooth and very engaging and involves a creative use of rhetorical strategies.