Understanding Your Project Scores

Rhetoric 3316 / 3326
Understanding Your Project Scores

F/O - Focus and Organization

topic and audience choice meet the requirements in the assignment handout
thesis statement is clear and is appropriate to the assignment
the writer's approach to the topic matches the readers' needs and interests
all paragraphs in the paper stay on topic
all required sections of the assignment are present and in the right order
headings, numbering, and/or bulleted lists are used to make the project easy for readers to follow
transitions between paragraphs and between sentences flow smoothly and are easy to follow

D = Development

the project provides readers with information appropriate to their level of understanding
the author includes enough information in each section to inform or persuade the reader, the author makes a clear effort to anticipate likely questions, problems, or objections in advance and answer them
all claims in the paper are backed up with examples, statistics, quotes, or other appropriate research; the author does not make claims that are poorly thought out or that contain errors in logic
the research is balanced and drawn from high-quality sources

S = Style

the writer's tone is appropriate for the audience, the project type, and the context of the project
the writer demonstrates a good command of vocabulary and varied sentence structures
the writer uses clear, uncluttered sentences and words wherever possible, avoiding unnecessary wordiness
the writer's style is easy and enjoyable to read

C = Conventions

A = Appearance

attractive and appropriate font choices; high quality printing
good use of headings, lists, tables, and white space
graphics are included where required; graphics are clearly printed and appropriately sized
page design is clear and uncluttered; page design makes it easier for the reader to find the information he or she wants
overall appearance is professional; the project looks appropriate for the topic, the intended audience, and the context; it looks like something the intended audience would want to read

Interpreting Your Numerical Scores

5	=	Nice work! In this category, your writing meets acceptable professional standards. Write like this in all your projects for the rest of the course.
4	=	You're on the right track! In this category, your writing has more strengths than it does weaknesses. However, there are still details you need to polish in order to achieve professional quality.
3	=	Your writing in this category shows an equal mix of strengths and weaknesses. The weaknesses are serious enough that the work would not really be acceptable at a professional level; you should focus on improving this area for your next project. I recommend that you get help from me or from the Writing Lab before the next project is due.
2	=	It's clear that you have put in some effort, but your writing in this category is way off the mark. You may have misunderstood the assignment. I insist that you get help from me or from the Writing Lab before the next project is due.
1	=	Thanks for trying. : )