Descriptive Grading Criteria for French Compositions

The mid "C" paper (75)

· A "C" paper generally meets the requirements of the assignment for which it is written. The paper may have some good features but is consistently weak in one of the following areas: preparation and editing (particularly, but not exclusively, on the first draft); grammar; vocabulary; syntax; structure and content. The paper may be mechanically correct and well organized, but repetitive (relative to the course level) in terms of content, syntax, grammar or style. In many "C" papers there seem to be some good ideas, but it is up to the grader to draw them out because they are obscured by errors in grammar, spelling, word choice, and/or spelling.

The mid "B" paper (85) and mid "A"

These papers go beyond the competence demonstrated in a "C" paper. The difference between an "A" and a "B" paper involves the degree to which the writer was able to showcase his/her command of the language skills acquired so far; the way in which the writer shows creativity and variety despite the limits of the language studied so far; the writer's ability to raise and keep the reader's interest; the care taken to polish each draft.

The "B" and "A" paper share, to various degrees, the following features:

Preparation and editing:

All planning guides, drafts and other preparatory assignments are turned in on time, according to the format assigned.

The final version of the paper is turned in on time.

The student has carefully checked all spelling (this includes accents and elisions), on all drafts of the paper. Students are encouraged to use dictionaries and French spell-checks. Be careful, though, as French spell-checks (like the English ones) require some thinking before we select "replace."

Vocabulary and grammar:

All drafts are free of quotes in English. Exceptions: proper nouns and titles ("Gone with the Wind"), the names of businesses and locations ("Main Street") and location-specific events ("The Walkathon").

Nearly all basic agreements are correct, even in the first draft. These include: noun/verb; adjective/noun, and gender agreements. Be sure to allow yourself time to go over these systematically.

The paper shows a solid-though not necessarily perfect--understanding of the grammar structures studied in this course so far.

The "focus grammar" and/or "focus vocabulary" for this assignment are used very well, though not necessarily perfectly, on draft one.

The paper (in all versions) shows an understanding of French idiom (the French say "Je vais bien" not "Je suis bien" and syntax (the French put most adverbs after verbs), emphasized in the course up to this point.

The vocabulary used in both drafts is fairly rich and varied relative to the quantity learned so far.

The quality of French is overall completely acceptable and sometimes even impressive.

The final draft demonstrates that the student has refined and revised grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, according to suggestions.

Content and Style:

The paper corresponds to the topic assigned (a letter vs. a persuasive essay vs. a restaurant review). This is important for all drafts, though slight misunderstandings may be ironed out for the final draft.

The writer shows an awareness of the reader (real or fictional); the tone (frank, kind, persuasive, angry, ironic) and register (formal, casual) are appropriate to the writing task. This is especially important in the final draft.

The first draft of the paper demonstrates a real effort to use organizational elements specific to the assignment (greeting in letters, transition words in persuasive essays, etc.) well. These are fine-tuned in the final draft.

The final draft demonstrates that the student has incorporated suggestions for stylistic improvements.

How teachers describe excellent compositions:

When I find I am thinking about the content more than about the grammar, it is always an A.

When I find myself so absorbed in the paper the paper that I forget I'm grading, I know it's an "A."

I'm impressed!

Even if the paper is written by a student who's just started French and has limited vocabulary to work with, it is intelligent and entertaining. The student has taken the few grammatical resources available, applied them in ways they know are correct, and done wonderful things with them.

In excellent papers students show that they are learning when to take risks-and when not to.

As a native speaker, I can "feel" when it is good - I know this does help much! I can have a smooth reading of the paper and sometimes be impressed by the use of some expressions that the student might have picked up in class while I spoke. Grammar is very good, almost perfect--relative to the level expected of the course.

For me, an "A" paper does not contain major mistakes, it reads well, is original in the way it deals with the topic assigned and even more important, shows that the student understood the relationship between the form and meaning (i.e. tenses, appropriate use of vocabulary).The paper also proves that the student spent time working on it.

mid "D" (65) and below

The paper is consistently lacking in more than one of the categories: preparation and editing; grammar; vocabulary; syntax; structure and content. The "D" paper often gives the impression of having been written too quickly. There is little evidence of revision and editing. It does not demonstrate the writer's mastery of material studied so far. It is often difficult to decipher: the reader has to mentally rewrite the paper to understand it.

Zero

The paper has been copied completely or in part from another student or another source.

The paper has been written with the help of a translation program. (Be careful: these programs give strange and poor translations.)

The paper has been corrected and rewritten by another person (a tutor, a friend, etc.), rather than edited according to guidelines given (peer-editing, self-editing, etc.).