Grading

Grades

The following is the official description of letter grades published by the English Department. Please read this carefully, and note that “B” is a good grade.

A range Outstanding performance.  Represents work of exceptional quality. Content, organization, expression, and style are all of a high standard. Comprehension of the subject and use of existing research and literature has been abundantly demonstrated. Uses sound critical thinking, has innovative ideas on the subject, argues the topic convincingly and presents sound evidence to back up claims. Shows personal engagement with the topic.

B range Good performance. Represents work of above average quality with no major weaknesses in argumentation or expression. Writing is clear and explicit and topic coverage and comprehension are more than adequate, although occasional lapses in reasoning or style may be present. Shows some degree of independent critical thinking and personal involvement in the work. Good use of existing knowledge on the subject.

C range: Satisfactory performance. Represents work of competent quality. Shows some comprehension of the subject, but has more frequent weaknesses and/or problems in content, style, argumentation, expression, or organization. Minimal critical awareness or personal involvement in the work has been demonstrated. Only adequate use of the literature and/or addressing of the topic.

D Marginal performance. Represents work of a barely adequate quality. Serious flaws in content, organization, and/or style. Grammatical errors tend to be frequent and often reflect a lack of basic linguistic competency. Argument is mostly off-topic and/or evidence is contradictory or poorly marshaled. Poor comprehension of the subject and engagement with existing research and literature. Minimal critical/personal involvement in the paper.

F failing performance. Represents work of substandard quality. Either clearly does not respond to the assigned topic or contains errors in grammar, organization, and expression that do not meet the minimum acceptable academic standards. Work that has been plagiarized should automatically receive a failing grade.

N Did not complete all assignments. An N will not convert to an F, but will stay as an N on a student’s transcript.