Criterion

Excellent (A)

Very Good (B)

Good (C)

Satisfactory (D)

Unsatisfactory (N –

high fail)

Fail (F – low fail)

Research and Knowledge

Clear understanding of subject matter and appreciation of issues, derived from class engagement and thorough research

Strong grasp of subject matter and appreciation of key issues, perhaps lacking a little on the finer points

Some good ideas with basic competence and reasonable breadth of reading

Some appreciation of subject matter and issues but with some serious deficiencies. Limited evidence of reading and research

Little evidence of research or engagement with class materials, resulting in poor understanding of the subject matter

Little or no evidence of research/engagement with class materials or understanding of subject matter. May contain

indicators of academic misconduct

Relevance to Question

All discussion closely targeted towards the question and does not deviate at any stage

Keeps closely to the question, but may stray a little through inclusion of irrelevant detail

Tries to address the question, but does not maintain consistent focus and strays into irrelevant areas

Inadequate comprehension of the question or does not properly address the question.

Limited relevance at best to the set question

Little, if any, relevance to the set question.

Irrelevance may also be indicative of academic misconduct

Analysis and Evaluation

Well organised; ability to formulate and sustain an argument; Evidence of creative insight and originality; good use of primary and secondary sources and an ability to analyse, synthesise

and evaluate material

Clearly developed arguments, ability to synthesise and analyse primary and secondary sources; well structured.

Evidence of insight into topic, but could be more thorough in

argument

Demonstrates some gaps in some areas,

e.g. analysis, research or use of sources. Argument may lack clarity or be weakly structured. Alternatively, a good essay gone astray at

crucial points.

May demonstrate a tendency to describe rather than analyse material, or does not engage with primary and secondary sources; problems with structuring argument and

organising material.

A few useful points, but not presented in sufficient detail constitute a passable response to the question; may be a very general discussion with no use of evidence; possibly deficient in

length

No evidence of understanding of subject or question, resulting in Inability to identify issues; inadequate in its depth and breadth; may be incomplete

English Expression

Fluent, elegant English style with no errors of grammar or punctuation

Clearly written English; may contain a few errors of grammar or punctuation

Comprehensible basic English, but room for improvement in sentence structure, grammar and punctuation

Poorly structured sentences; may include numerous errors in grammar and punctuation

Badly structured sentences; numerous errors in grammar and punctuation which may present problems for comprehension

Sentences are often incomprehensible due to poor construction and a high number or grammatical and punctuation errors

Documentation and Presentation

Fully documented through correctly formatted in-text references and bibliography. Free of typographical and spelling errors.

May be under- referenced and/or contain errors of reference or bibliography format. May contain a few typographical or spelling errors

Under-referenced and/or contain errors of reference or bibliography format. A significant number of typographical and/or spelling errors

Seriously under- referenced and/or incorrectly formatted references and bibliography.

Numerous typographical and/or spelling errors

Little referencing; incomplete or missing bibliography; incorrect formatting for references/bibliography high number of typographical/spelling errors

Little or no referencing/bibliography; incorrect formatting; may contain false references or other indicators of academic misconduct. No evidence of proof-reading