Evaluating Your Work
Alys Avalos-Rivera
Once you have outlined the main ideas you will use in your essay, you are ready to draft your first version. Remember that you need clear topic sentences and appropriate transitions in each paragraphs. In order to to revise your work (and that of your peers) you should check your instructor’s assignment guidelines and make sure your work addresses them to the best of your knowledge. As an alternative, you can use any of the following rubrics.
Evaluation Sheet 1
By Brianna Hook
Instructions: This worksheet can be used during peer review sessions. You may write on this paper and on the author’s essay. After reading and critiquing your peer’s essay, return your responses to the author. Alternatively, you may use this sheet to revise your own work.
- Read the entire essay. Underline the thesis statement in the introductory paragraph. Has the author taken a clear stance on the issue? Are the main points clearly written, logical, and in parallel form?
- Are the author’s ideas organized in an effective manner? Did s/he follow the same order as the points were mentioned in the thesis statement?
- Look back over the essay. Describe any point(s) where you were confused, unconvinced, or uncertain of the connections or ideas being explained and expressed. You may suggest transitions or recommend clarification of ideas. (You may also circle those in the essay.)
- Find three places where you think the author could add more specific information, explanation, or evidence. Suggest specifically what kind of additions could be made (for example, facts, quotes, or statistics).
- Look at the author’s use of outside sources. Has s/he effectively integrated the sources into the essay? Does the information from sources clearly support his/her arguments/ideas? Has s/he properly used in-text citation to give credit to the sources?
- If the author only had an hour to make changes, what top three things should s/he do?
- Now look at grammatical and sentence-level issues (including verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, use of prepositions, word choice, spelling, commas, etc.) and mark these clearly for the writer to see.
- Lastly, do you think the author makes an overall convincing argument? Could you be persuaded to his/her side? Why or why not? Be specific in your critique.
Evaluation Sheet 2
- This rubric helps you assess your essay considering five categories: content, organization, documentation style, grammar and vocabulary, and spelling/punctuation/capitalization/formatting.
- In each category, you are given three levels of descriptors. The one on the top corresponds to a high-quality sort of essay, the one in the middle describes an acceptable essay, and the one at the bottom applies for a poor one.
- Read each descriptor and check on the lines next to the descriptors that best represent the features of your work.
- Once you finish checking, choose a mark within the range given for each level on the left column. Your rating should fall within the range given for the level where most of your check marks clustered.
| Content | ||
| 27-30 | _____ | clear thesis and controlling ideas |
| _____ | main ideas clearly stated/well supported | |
| _____ | excellent details, examples | |
| _____ | content is relevant/appropriate | |
| _____ | main ideas well-documented | |
| _____ | effective use of published sources | |
| 20-26 | _____ | adequate thesis |
| _____ | main ideas adequately/sufficiently stated/supported | |
| _____ | adequate/sufficient details, examples | |
| _____ | most content is relevant/appropriate | |
| _____ | main ideas adequately/sufficiently documented | |
| _____ | adequate/sufficient use of published sources | |
| 0-19 | _____ | weak/no thesis |
| _____ | inadequate/insufficient main ideas/support | |
| _____ | inadequate/insufficient details, examples | |
| _____ | content not relevant/appropriate | |
| _____ | content does not fulfill assignment | |
| _____ | ideas not clearly documented | |
| _____ | inadequate/insufficient use of published sources |
| Organization | ||
| 27-30 | _____ | excellent introduction, body, conclusion |
| _____ | good sequence of ideas, support | |
| _____ | clear transitions | |
| _____ | clear topic sentences | |
| _____ | excellent coherence/paragraph unity | |
| _____ | title is informative/original | |
| _____ | good concluding/wrap-and-tie sentences | |
| 20-26 | _____ | acceptable introduction, body, and conclusion |
| _____ | adequately/sufficiently sequenced ideas, support | |
| _____ | adequate/sufficient transitions | |
| _____ | adequate topic sentences | |
| _____ | adequate/sufficient coherence/paragraph unity | |
| _____ | acceptable title/matches content | |
| _____ | adequate/sufficient concluding/wrap-and-tie sentences | |
| 0-19 | _____ | weak/no introduction, body, conclusion |
| _____ | inadequately/insufficiently sequenced ideas, support | |
| _____ | weak/no transitions | |
| _____ | weak/no topic sentences | |
| _____ | weak/no coherence/paragraph unity | |
| _____ | weak/no title | |
| _____ | weak/no concluding wrap-and-tie sentences |
| Documentation Style | ||
| 8-10 | _____ | mastery of in-text documentation |
| _____ | mastery of reference page formatting | |
| _____ | mastery of page formatting | |
| 4-7 | _____ | some errors in in-text documentation |
| _____ | some errors in reference page formatting | |
| _____ | some errors in page formatting | |
| 0-3 | _____ | frequent errors in in-text citation |
| _____ | frequent errors in reference page formatting | |
| _____ | many errors in page formatting | |
| Sentence Structure/ Grammar/ Vocabulary | ||
| 23-25 | _____ | near-native command of sentence structure |
| _____ | effective use of complex sentences | |
| _____ | very few grammatical errors | |
| _____ | good use of function of words | |
| _____ | idiomatic control of vocabulary | |
| 16-22 | _____ | most sentences grammatically correct |
| _____ | adequate/sufficient use of complex sentences | |
| _____ | some grammatical errors | |
| _____ | adequate/sufficient use of function words | |
| _____ | occasional errors or word/idiom usage | |
| _____ | meaning sometimes unclear | |
| 0-15 | _____ | problems with complex sentences |
| _____ | overuse of simple sentences | |
| _____ | problems with basic sentence structure | |
| _____ | frequent grammatical errors | |
| _____ | poor use of function words | |
| _____ | frequent errors of word/idiom usage | |
| Spelling/ punctuation/ capitalization/ format (s/p/c/f) | ||
| 3-5 | mastery of major S/P/C/F rules | |
| minor errors in S/P/C/F rules | ||
| 0-2 | frequent (more than 3) S/P/C/F errors | |
| some common errors in S/P/C/F | ||
|
TOTAL: |
