A = Outstanding
An "A" paper has a strong, clear, interesting, narrow, and specific thesis and an introduction that provides an interesting, helpful preview of the content, logic, and organization of the paper.

An "A" paper provides relevant, concrete evidence and logically persuasive reasons for every assertion.

An "A" paper has a clear and consistent overall organization that relates all the ideas of the paper together logically in a thoughtful, sophisticated, and memorable manner with ample transitions to aid the reader.

An "A" paper has unified, coherent, and well-developed paragraphs without exception.

An "A" paper has almost no errors of grammar, punctuation, word choice, or usage. The writer consistently uses sentences that are clear, concise, effective, and varied in terms of length and structure.

An "A" paper synthesizes the information and arguments from multiple, reliable sources into its own argument, summarizing its sources fairly and assessing them critically.

B = Good
A "B" paper has a strong, clear, interesting, narrow, and specific thesis, but the introduction is not a wholly adequate preface to the content, logic, and organization of the paper.

A "B" paper provides relevant, concrete evidence and logically persuasive reasons for most assertions.

A "B" paper has a clear and consistent overall organization that relates all the ideas of the paper together logically with transitions for the reader at significant points in the paper.

A "B" paper has unified, coherent, and well-developed paragraphs for the most part.

A "B" paper has some errors of grammar, punctuation, word choice, or usage. The writing is always clear, although it is not always concise, effective, and varied.

A "B" paper uses multiple, reliable sources, but uses them merely to provide specific evidence for its own argument.

C = Adequate
A "C" paper has a clear thesis, but the thesis is vague, broad, uninteresting, or not wholly relevant to the assignment.

A "C" paper provides evidence and reasons for most assertions, but the evidence and reasons are frequently not the most relevant or the most logically persuasive or the most thoroughly developed.

A "C" paper has a clear and consistent overall organization, but the organizational principle is vague, uninteresting, or inadequate. Transitions tend to be weak, uninspired, or vague.

A "C" paper has significant problems with the unity, coherence, or development of some of its paragraphs.

A "C" paper has a number of errors of grammar, punctuation, word choice, and usage, but the writing remains comprehensible at all times. The sentences are sometimes short and choppy or long and wordy.

A "C" paper uses evidence from a source of questionable reliability uncritically or relies too heavily on a single source at key moments in its argument.

D = Deficient
A "D" paper has a thesis, but the thesis is unclear and vague.

A "D" paper rarely provides real evidence or real reasons for its assertions. The paper is made up mostly of unsubstantiated opinion.

A "D" paper does not have one clear organizational principle or does not follow through on its initial organizational principle consistently.

A "D" paper has frequent problems with the unity, coherence, or development of its paragraphs.

A "D" paper has many errors of grammar, punctuation, word choice, and usage, and the writing is sometimes incomprehensible with little variation in terms of sentence length and structure.

A "D" paper relies heavily on unreliable sources or seriously misrepresents its sources.