Trait #1 - Ideas & Content

5 Rating:

The paper is clear and focused in relation to its content and idea. It holds the reader's attention. Ideas are fresh and original.

• Supporting, relevant, telling details give the reader important information.
• The writing has balance: main ideas stand out.
• The writer is in control and develops the topic in an enlightening way.
• The writer words with shapes and shapes ideas, making connections and sharing insights.

3 Rating:

This paper is clear and focused. It shows promise, even though development is limited, sketchy, or general.

• The writer is beginning to define the topic, but is not there yet. More information is needed to fill in the blanks.
• Writer has some problems going from the general to the specific.
• Ideas are reasonably clear and purposeful even though they may not be explicit or reflect depth of understanding.
• Support of ideas is attempted but doesn't go far enough to provide the reader with a clear understanding of the writer's purpose.
• Main points seem a blend of the original.

1 Rating:

As yet the paper has no clear sense of purpose. To extract meaning from the text, the reader must make inferences based on sketchy details. More than one of the following problems is likely to be evident:

• Information is very limited or unclear.
• The text is repetitious or reads like a collection of random thoughts which have no clear purpose.
• Everything seems as important as everything else; the reader has a hard time sifting out what's critical.
• The paper seems to be in search of a direction to guide development.

Generating Ideas for a Paper

Researching Your Topic

Overcoming Writers Block

Warning Signs of a Rushed Paper