Handwriting, spelling and accurate examples leave positive or negative impressions.
Category: Overall Advice
Good
Not Good
Don't skip lines between paragraphs; only indent for a new paragraph.
Category: Overall Advice
State your thesis clearly and precisely in your intro.
Category: Ideas & Analysis
Good
Not Good
Answer the prompt DIRECTLY.
Off-topic essays will receive a "0".
Category: Ideas & Analysis
Good
Not Good
Critically engage reader with multiple, relevant perspectives.
Category: Ideas & Analysis
Good
Not Good
Explicitly mention all three perspectives.
Category: Ideas & Analysis
Good
Not Good
Good
Not Good
Use concrete, descriptive examples that prove your thesis
Avoid hypothetical examples & generalizations.
Use names, dates and specific details.
It does NOT have to be factual.
Avoid examples that negate your thesis.
Category: Development & Support
Use effective transitions between paragraphs.
Category: Organization
Good
Not Good
Use effective transitions within your body paragraphs.
above all, furthermore, therefore, as a result, etc.
Category: Organization
Good
Not Good
Show relationships between ideas.
Category: Organization
Good
Connect examples to your thesis at the end of each body paragraph.
Category: Organization
Good
Not Good
Intro and Conclusion should grab your reader, contain thesis, and be approximately 3-4 sentences.
Approximately 3-4 sentences-one sentence is not a paragraph.
A person = he or she / people = they Than = comparision, then = time / it's = it is, its = possessive Their = possessive, there = a place, they're = they are Too = also; in excess, To = a prepposition; to indicate the infinitive
Apostrophes, redundancy, commas, semicolons, pronouns
DO'nt capitaliZe unneceSsarily
Category: Language & Convention
Good
Not Good
Vary your sentence structure and avoid being too casual.
Category: Language & Convention
Good
Not Good
Spell out words like 'and' 'with' or 'could not' vs. '&' 'w/' or 'couldn't'.
Category: Language & Convention
Good
Not Good
Avoid awkward/wordy sentences.
Category: Language & Convention
Good
Not Good
Use appropriate collegebound vocabulary.
Category: Language & Convention
Good
Not Good
Use inclusive language (i.e., I find, most people tend to).
Avoid extreme language (i.e., all, always, never, etc.).