Grading Rubric for Papers

Style and Form (25%) EXEMPLARY [ ] The essay is free of grammatical errors. [ ] The essay is free of spelling errors. [ ] The prose flows well and is easy to understand. [ ] The essay has a thesis statement that addresses the question asked in the assignment. [ ] The essay has a thesis statement that is clear and compelling. COMPETENT [ ] The essay has several minor grammatical errors. [ ] The essay has several minor spelling errors. [ ] Several choppy paragraphs that are difficult to follow. [ ] The essay has a thesis statement that is marginally related to the question asked in the assignment. [ ] The essay has a thesis statement that fails to make a clear claim. [ ] Some, but not all, of the paragraphs of the essay support the thesis in a clear and compelling manner. [ ] Argumentation takes into account some data, but overlooks key aspects related to the thesis. [ ] Argumentation does not recognize the data that may support potential objections to the thesis. [ ] The essay uses some biblical texts effectively, but overlooks key texts related to the thesis. [ ] The essay includes some citations from the secondary material, but those citations are ineffective or not clearly related to the thesis. DEVELOPING [ ] The essay has many significant grammatical errors. [ ] The essay has many significant spelling errors. [ ] A significant portion of the essay was difficult to follow. [ ] The essay does not address the question asked in the assignment. [ ] The essay lacks a thesis statement or locates the thesis statement somewhere other than the first paragraph. [ ] The argumentation is vague and unrelated to the thesis. [ ] The argumentation does not recognize the core issues related to the thesis. [ ] The argumentation does not recognize potential objections to the thesis. [ ] The essay does not make effective use of biblical texts. [ ] The essay does not make effective use of quotations from secondary material.

Clear Thesis (25%)

Effective Argumentation or Support of the Thesis (25%)

[ ] Each paragraph of the essay supports the thesis in a clear and compelling manner. [ ] Argumentation takes into account a broad range of data, demonstrating awareness of the complexity of the question. [ ] Argumentation takes into account potential objections to the thesis. [ ] The essay makes effective use of a wide range of appropriate biblical texts. [ ] The essay includes appropriate citations from the secondary material.

Mastery of primary and secondary material (25%)