Formatting your Essays:
Value of Letter Grades:
A = 95-100
A- = 90-94
B+ = 87-89
B = 83-86
B- = 80-82
C+ = 77-79
C = 73-76
C- = 70-72
ETC.
Meaning of Letter Grades:
A Outstanding. We’ve looked and looked for errors and found perhaps a few lapses in grammar, but they are insignificant because you raised an interesting and important argument. You followed all the directions of the assignment and wrote in a clear and fluid manner. You cited your sources and garnered good evidence for your argument. Usually no more than 10% of students receive an A as a final grade.
A- Excellent. You show a superb mastery of the materials. Your paper has a clear argument but something is just a little bit off, and consistently so. You need some tightening of argumentation, for example, or you should have pushed your data that extra step. Or, there are some writing flaws in your paper or, your organization might not be perfect and obscures your otherwise fine argument.
B+ Very good. You've clearly learned the material and there are no major errors. But your answer is lacking in originality, clarity, or sparkle. In some cases, this grade can be for a brilliant essay with significant and frequent writing flaws.
B Good. You have a solid argument but it is not fully developed. Your argument is plausible but you need more supporting evidence to make a convincing case. Or, you’ve given the right evidence but haven’t articulated the argument. Or in an exam, for example, the chronology is confused or in a paper, there are problems with annotation and the use of sources. These are not fatal.
B- Pretty good. Your answer is solid, but incomplete. You end the paper or essay where you should begin it. Your essay has the right elements but they are in the wrong order. Your argument is likely missing something and might also have some problems in expression. I might have to strain to figure out what you want to say but once I do, it makes sense. This strain suggests that you could have corrected the problem with more attention to your argument.
C+ Fair. It's not obvious that you've done the readings and listened to the lectures. What you say might be true, but it is unclear since your argument has many writing problems and a reader has to work overtime to figure out what you mean. Your argument, though plausible, is not especially deep or insightful. The paper has errors and an imbalance between generalizations and
evidence. There are problems with annotation that suggests attention has not been paid to the detail and mechanics of writing a paper.
C Acceptable, but...
C- Still acceptable, but...
here are a greater number of problems and/or a fewer number of good points than needed to earn you a "C." In other words, more of the C problems (mentioned above) are true in a C- paper.
D+ Barely acceptable. There are serious errors, omissions, or inconsistencies here, but the light of understanding somehow, occasionally, flickers through.
D Just barely acceptable. Your answer is so vague that it's hard to find something good to say. Your writing problems also are pretty significant.
D- Passing. Be grateful your instructors are nice people with a great deal of patience. Perhaps you need to spend more time on your answers/papers next time! Asking for help might also be a good idea.
F Don’t think so. There's not even enough here about which to be patient. At least you will get some credit for your effort, which is better than the zero you would have gotten for leaving the answer blank.
Courtesy of Professors Amy Leonard, Howard Spendelow, and Alan Karras
- Make a title page! Your title page should have your assignment title in large, centered font. Your name, your class name, my name, and the date should be in a smaller font at the bottom right of your title page. Note that your title page is not included in your page count.
- Your papers should be written in size 12, Times New Roman font. They should be double-spaced. You should use standard margins (one inch on all sides of the document). Number your pages (at the top right).
- Use formal academic writing (no contractions or colloquialisms).
- Cite all sources using Chicago Style formatting, which means that you need footnotes and a bibliography (note that the bibliography does not add to your page count). Click here to find out how you do this. You should always cite at the end of a quotation. Otherwise, include all citations in a footnote at the end of a paragraph. You do not need to cite every sentence. Your footnotes should be numbered sequentially and they should be single-spaced.
Value of Letter Grades:
A = 95-100
A- = 90-94
B+ = 87-89
B = 83-86
B- = 80-82
C+ = 77-79
C = 73-76
C- = 70-72
ETC.
Meaning of Letter Grades:
A Outstanding. We’ve looked and looked for errors and found perhaps a few lapses in grammar, but they are insignificant because you raised an interesting and important argument. You followed all the directions of the assignment and wrote in a clear and fluid manner. You cited your sources and garnered good evidence for your argument. Usually no more than 10% of students receive an A as a final grade.
A- Excellent. You show a superb mastery of the materials. Your paper has a clear argument but something is just a little bit off, and consistently so. You need some tightening of argumentation, for example, or you should have pushed your data that extra step. Or, there are some writing flaws in your paper or, your organization might not be perfect and obscures your otherwise fine argument.
B+ Very good. You've clearly learned the material and there are no major errors. But your answer is lacking in originality, clarity, or sparkle. In some cases, this grade can be for a brilliant essay with significant and frequent writing flaws.
B Good. You have a solid argument but it is not fully developed. Your argument is plausible but you need more supporting evidence to make a convincing case. Or, you’ve given the right evidence but haven’t articulated the argument. Or in an exam, for example, the chronology is confused or in a paper, there are problems with annotation and the use of sources. These are not fatal.
B- Pretty good. Your answer is solid, but incomplete. You end the paper or essay where you should begin it. Your essay has the right elements but they are in the wrong order. Your argument is likely missing something and might also have some problems in expression. I might have to strain to figure out what you want to say but once I do, it makes sense. This strain suggests that you could have corrected the problem with more attention to your argument.
C+ Fair. It's not obvious that you've done the readings and listened to the lectures. What you say might be true, but it is unclear since your argument has many writing problems and a reader has to work overtime to figure out what you mean. Your argument, though plausible, is not especially deep or insightful. The paper has errors and an imbalance between generalizations and
evidence. There are problems with annotation that suggests attention has not been paid to the detail and mechanics of writing a paper.
C Acceptable, but...
- You might have grasped the basic idea, but have missed the main focal points of the questions and/or;
- There are omissions or disturbing errors in fact or your logic is flawed and/or;
- Although basically correct, your argument has no supporting evidence and/or;
- Your writing is obscuring your argument, your notes are inadequate, and your credibility is not so good either.
C- Still acceptable, but...
here are a greater number of problems and/or a fewer number of good points than needed to earn you a "C." In other words, more of the C problems (mentioned above) are true in a C- paper.
D+ Barely acceptable. There are serious errors, omissions, or inconsistencies here, but the light of understanding somehow, occasionally, flickers through.
D Just barely acceptable. Your answer is so vague that it's hard to find something good to say. Your writing problems also are pretty significant.
D- Passing. Be grateful your instructors are nice people with a great deal of patience. Perhaps you need to spend more time on your answers/papers next time! Asking for help might also be a good idea.
F Don’t think so. There's not even enough here about which to be patient. At least you will get some credit for your effort, which is better than the zero you would have gotten for leaving the answer blank.
Courtesy of Professors Amy Leonard, Howard Spendelow, and Alan Karras
