A.  Thesis Statement/ Introduction

• Is your thesis statement specific (could one could distinguish your thesis from that of a fellow class-mate)?

• Is your thesis statement informative/explanatory?

• Is your introduction overly lofty/general/hyperbolic?  Does it contain irrelevant information?

• Are your paragraphs each focused around a single point?

• Do your paragraphs have a logical “flow” to them (i.e. is the logical relationship between one paragraph and the next logical and clear; do they transition smoothly)?

• Is each body paragraph aimed at making a contribution to the defense of your thesis (i.e. does it play the role of a premise in your argument)?

• Do you explain what the cited passages are supposed to show (I.e. explain their significance to the argument you are making)?

• Are there an chronic/systematic grammatical and/or spelling problems?

C.  Content

• Do your passages show what you claim they do?

• Does the evidence in each paragraph in fact support the claim of that paragraph?

• Do your premises (the central point of each body paragraph)  in fact support your conclusion (your thesis statement)?

Final Mark:              /15  (Although no official letter grades are assigned until the end of the term, historically the percentages work out roughly as follows: 13-15 is A-ish work, 11-12 is B-ish work, 8-10 is C-ish work.)