An Introduction to WAC

Marking Papers

You'll find more detailed advice about paper grading in the sections under

• Don't I have to be an expert in grammar to assign writing?
• What makes a good assignment?
• How can I handle the papers?

A few points bear repeating here:

• Responding to students' writing involves far more than simply marking errors in punctuation and mechanics. Most grading time, by far, is devoted to commenting on focus, development and arrangement of ideas, the quality of arguments, and other larger issues.
• Tell students in advance specifically what your expectations are for high-level writing skills. Then focus your commenting on how well students meet those specific criteria. Also consider developing a checksheet or some other commenting guide to help you comment quickly but thoroughly on the points you decide are most important for a given paper. (See the samples in "What makes a good assignment?" and "How can I handle the papers?")