The A Paper: a superior paper that represents the highest quality because it shows—terrific insight into the subject, strong on style as well as structure and support, careful crafting; is highly readable and interesting. The A paper is not simply a reward for hard work or a grade a student deserves. It is a mark of excellence.

The B Paper: is better than a C paper because it has the correct elements and shows greater strength in its approach to the assignment, careful, logical reasoning with appropriate examples and supporting evidence, use of effective, appropriate language and varied sentence structure.

The C Paper: is acceptable because it matches the minimum requirements of having: a clear idea or argument, adequate development of the subject using appropriate examples and supporting evidence, an adequate thesis, introduction, body and conclusion, a manner of expression that does not interfere with the reader’s understanding. This paper is satisfactory, but it does not go above or beyond simple expectations.

The D Paper: is barely acceptable because it shows serious flaws such as: unfocused idea or argument, poorly defined thesis, introduction, body, or conclusion, organization that is unclear, incoherent, or lacking unity, underdeveloped paragraphs with insufficient support, and major grammatical errors.

The F Paper: this product is unacceptable for the following reasons: it fails to meet the requirements of the assignment, the thesis is inadequate or unsupported, thesis is not developed or proven by legitimate examples or evidence, the author’s manner of expression interferes with the reader’s understanding, the paper fails to address the assigned topic.