GRADING WRITING ASSIGNMENTS

So far all of my posts are about writing. I can’t help it; it’s my new passion.

Here is a grading guide that I made up for my co-op class. I’m still working out the kinks.

I plan to use it next year for the classes I’ll be teaching.

Error Points lost

General Structure
Not double-spaced 15 pts each
Thesis statement missing or misplaced 10 pts each
Thesis doesn’t reference the topics of the 3 body paragraphs 15 pts
Paragraph missing (5 paragraph papers when studied) 20 pts each

Grammar
Misspelled word 2 pts each
Capitalization/punctuation 3 pts each
Sentence Fragments 5 pts each
Run on sentence 5 pts each
Comma use 5 pts each

Paragraph structure
Lack of topic sentence 5 pts per paragraph
Lack of transition sentence between paragraphs 5 pts per paragraph
Lack of clincher sentence for the very last paragraph 5 pts
Insufficient supporting details 10 pts

Sentence level
All sentences begin with a subject 10 pts per paragraph
(sentence openers should vary)
All sentences are approximately the same length 10 pts per paragraph
(don’t forget to vary sentence length)

Word use
Awkward sentences 5 pts each
Informal language 3 pts each
(got, a lot, contractions, guys, slang)
Use of “I, you, me, my, mine, or we, your” 2 pts each
(Unless the paper is an opinion piece)
Pronouns used without indicating the noun being referred 5 pts each
Improper verb tense (should be past tense) 10 pts