BIO 310 Essay Grading Rubric*

All essays begin with a score of zero (0) in each category. Points are awarded as students demonstrate levels of competence for each criterion/category. Only very exceptional essays will receive perfect scores for all criteria/categories.

Criterion (points possible)	Excellent 20 points	Good 15 points	Fair 10 points	Poor 5 points
Clarity and Organization (20 pts.)	The thesis is clearly stated AND the essay has a compelling opening, an informative middle and an appropriate conclusion	Thesis is undefined, confusing and unclear OR the essay has a defined beginning, middle and end, BUT the essay is not coherent or compelling	Thesis is buried, confusing and unclear AND the essay is not coherent or compelling	No thesis is given AND/OR the essay is very poorly structured and disorganized
Support and Opposition (20 points)	Clear and accurate reasons are given in support of the thesis AND counter- arguments are considered and then rejected with cause	Some reasons are given in support of the thesis, but significant reasons are missing OR counter-arguments are not considered	Weak reasons or reasons that don't support the thesis are given AND counter-arguments are not considered	No convincing reasons in support of the thesis are given AND counter-arguments are not considered
Completion and Approach (20 points)	Assignment represents a novel synthesis of ideas AND author takes a scientific approach to supporting his/her thesis	Assignment represents a competent discussion of the ideas of others OR author takes a generally scientific approach, but sometimes uses anecdotal evidence to support thesis	Assignment represents a competent discussion of the ideas of others AND author often relies on anecdotes or emotion to support thesis	Assignment presents the ideas of others by cutting and pasting them into the semblance of an essay AND/OR author consistently relies on non-scientific ideas to support thesis
Vocabulary and Conventions (20 points)	Sentences are clear and informative, vocabulary is evocative and appropriate AND correct grammar, spelling, punctuation conventions are employed	Sentences are generally well- constructed, vocabulary is appropriate, correct writing conventions are generally used, BUT there are a few errors	Sentences are awkward and/or run-ons or fragments are present AND/OR vocabulary is inappropriate AND/OR substantial errors distract the reader from the text	Numerous run-on sentences, fragments, awkward phrases and/or typos make the essay difficult to read AND vocabulary is consistently confusing and inappropriate
Sources and Citations (20 points)	Author is very knowledgeable, many sources have been consulted, citations are given in correct format AND essay has low % similarity score in “Safe Assign”	Author is somewhat knowledgeable, several sources were consulted, however some citations are missing or incorrectly formatted AND/OR % similarity score in “Safe Assign” indicates that in some places the essay relies on the words of others	Author demonstrates little knowledge of the topic, few sources have been consulted, many in-text citations are missing AND/OR % similarity score in “Safe Assign” indicates heavy reliance on the words of others in the essay	Author demonstrates very little knowledge of the topic, no citations or references are given AND/OR very high % similarity score in “Safe Assign” indicates that the majority of the essay relies on the words of others

*Subject to minor changes and revisions