TO:English Department

FROM:Director of Writing

RE:WCE Rubric Scoring Guide

EVALUATION of the WRITING COMPETANCY EXAM

FOCUS

  • This is largely determined by the establishment of the Topic, selected Mode and establishment of the work as a response to the given Prompt in the Thesis Sentence.
  • Maintaining these priorities throughout the Introduction paragraph and reestablishing them in a complete Conclusion paragraph will yield a high score in Focus.
  • Penalties will be applied for:
  • A thesis split over more than one sentence
  • Phrasing of the thesis that indicates the wrong rhetorical mode
  • Vague/tangential phrasing in establishing the topic
  • Failure to include the thesis sentence in the intro paragraph

CONTENT

  • Focused on the Body paragraphs in the work, the Content score identifies the presence of specific details and examples that directly support the established topic.
  • Penalties are applied for:
  • Hypothetical concepts used to support ideas
  • Vagueness in examples, or a complete lack thereof
  • Basic generalizations
  • Tangential/irrelevant subjects or ideas
  • *Note: This grade is not based on accuracy in the content provided; fiction will not be penalized

ORGANIZATION

  • The presence of a clear Intro paragraph, a complete Body paragraph for each main/supporting point (at least 3), and a full Conclusion paragraph is necessary. Transitions should be apparent and effectively used between every paragraph.
  • Penalties are applied for:
  • Any absence of a complete Introduction or Conclusion paragraph
  • Weak/absent transitions
  • Splitting 1 main point over 2 paragraphs, or combining two distinct main points into 1 paragraph in the Body of the work

STYLE

  • This focuses on distinct, varied and sophisticated phrasing and word choice throughout the essay. Though it may not be grammatically incorrect, Style focuses on the presence of a developed, mature means of expressing information.
  • Penalties are applied for:
  • Incorrect word usage (abuse of a Thesaurus)
  • Simplistic sentence structure/phrasing
  • Excessive wordiness
  • Repetitive word choice/lack of originality in wording
  • Awkward/unclear/vague phrasing
  • Point of View shifts
  • “Text Message Lingo”

CONVENTIONS

  • The least abstract of the criteria considered, this final category focuses upon the presence and number of Grammar Errors in the essay.
  • Though an error is an error, significant penalties are applied for:
  • Sentence Fragments
  • Run-on/Fused Sentences
  • Excessive punctuation errors throughout
  • Multiple errors in subject verb agreement and/or pronoun usage
  • Excessive errors in spelling/word choice