First-Year Writing Standards
The First-Year Writing Program expects these traits of an essay:
- clear controlling purpose supported with relevant details, evidence, and
analysis; focus appropriate to rhetorical goals
- appropriately organized, leading readers through the text and providing
a framework for reading
- ideas should persuasively contribute to the development of analysis, argument,
and/or description;
- close relationship between ideas and rhetorical goals
- good language use and word choice appropriate to audience and purpose
In addition to these basic guidelines, I access essays based on the following
criteria:
- satisfies the requirements of the prompt and goes beyond them in original,
creative ways
- critical, reflective, analytical thought
- the establishment of a strong, credible, and authoritative voice that clearly
demonstrates the writer's point of view
- awareness of context and audience
- not only cosmetic but also substantive progress (read: revision) from initial
to final drafts