Criteria for Grading Short Papers
by Ann Owen
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- Does the opening paragraph succinctly state the conclusion/main idea?
- Is the argument well structured? Is it clear how each point relates to the other points and to the main conclusion?
- Is there evidence to support the conclusion? Is it used/presented correctly?
- If necessary, are legitimate alternative views considered?
- Does the conclusion succinctly emphasize the major points?
- Is the grammar correct? Are the word choice and sentence structure appropriate?
When grading a large set of papers, I find that I need to have this list in front of me so I stay focused and have some consistency to the grades. This seems especially important when I have lots of papers and have to grade them over several days. I share it with the students in the hope that they will give me what I am looking for and make it easier to grade the papers.
