A Guide to Better Writing (and a better grade) Cerc Writing A Guide to Better Writing (and a better grade)

Color key Claim – Purple Evidence – Blue Reasoning – Green Transitions - Red Reasoning – Green Conclusion – Purple

Claim Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1 Introduction is memorable Writers position is clearly stated Level 3 Introduction could do more to grab readers attention The claim states a position on an issue Level 2 The introduction is ordinary Claim identifies issue, position not clearly stated Level 1 There is no claim

Evidence & Reasoning Level 4 Logical reasons and relevant evidence convincingly support claim The reasons and evidence are organized logically and consistently throughout the writing Evidence is taken directly from the text and quoted correctly Transitions logically connect reasons and evidence to the claim

Evidence & Reasoning Level 3 Most evidence and reasoning support claim, but they could be more convincing The organization of reasons and evidence is confusing in a few places The evidence is taken directly from class lectures A few more transitions are needed to connect reasons and evidence to the writers claim

Evidence & Reasoning Level 2 The reasons and evidence are not always logical or relevant The organization of reasons is logical in some places, but it often doesn’t follow a pattern The evidence is not taken directly from classroom lectures Many more transitions are needed to connect reasons to the claim

Evidence & Reasoning Level 1 The evidence and reasoning are missing A logical organization is not used, reasons and evidence are presented randomly Transitions are not used, making the writing difficult to understand

Conclusion Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1 The conclusion restates the claim in a different way and effectively summarizes the evidence Level 3 The conclusion restates the claim in a different way or summarizes the evidence Level 2 The conclusion restates the claim using the same words and includes an incomplete summary of the evidence Level 1 There is no conclusion

Conventions Level 4 The writing reflects formal style Sentence beginnings, lengths, and structures vary and have a rhythmic flow Spelling, capitalization, and punctuation are correct Grammar and usage are correct

Conventions Level 3 The style becomes informal in a few places Sentence beginnings, lengths, and structures vary somewhat Several capitalization and punctuation errors occur Some grammatical and usage errors are repeated

Conventions Level 2 The style becomes informal in many places Sentence structures barely vary, and some fragments or run-on sentences are present Several spelling and capitalization errors are present, and punctuation is inconsistent Grammar and usage are incorrect in many places

Conventions Level 1 The style is not correct for the type of writing Repetitive sentence structure, fragments, and run-on sentences make the writing hard to follow Spelling and capitalization are often incorrect, and punctuation is missing Many grammatical and usage errors change the meaning of ideas