Review

Critical Review Assessment Criteria

Grade Contract and Self-Assessment Criteria

To begin assessing your performance on your critical review, first re-read the Critical Review Assignment so that the objectives and requirements are fresh in your mind. Then review your essay in view of the below criteria. Obviously not every aspect of your essay will reach the same level of performance. Hence, your final assessment must take into consideration your strengths and weaknesses and then arrive at some holistic determination of a grade for your work, weighing one aspect of your essay against another, one criterion against another and your strengths against your weaknesses.

The following lists contain the criteria for each grade-level. Use these when you prepare your self-assessment statement in which you will explain the grade for which you have contracted and your rationale for placing your work on that level. As your prepare your self-assessment statement, assess the content, style, mechanics and MLA format of your essay in view of the criteria for each grade level.

A Contract

Content of your Review:

A clear explanation of the text's thesis, its argument, its scope, the material it handles, its arrangement, etc. In the case of a collection of essays, you will need a description of the kinds of essays in the collection and an indication of its general slant, the scope or range of essays included, the kinds of materials they handle, etc. If you review a collection you may give more extensive consideration to several of the essays rather than all of them.

A well-substantiated assessment of the text's scholarly rigor (documentation, use of evidence, apparent awareness of other writers on the subject, useful bibliography or index or appendices, etc.)

An assessment of the persuasiveness of the text's argument. Do you buy it? To what extent? Where do you disagree?

An indication and explanation of the text's strengths, usefulness, value, importance, etc., as well as its limitations and/or weaknesses

An assessment of the text's style, readability, tone, etc.

An explanation of the text's underlying assumptions or unacknowledged biases and how these affect the work

Adequate use of specific evidence from the text under analysis to substantiate your claims about its strengths, weaknesses, usefulness, limitations, etc.

Mechanics and Style of your Review:

All mechanics correct. Statement of your ideas is clear and readable. Voice sounds human and "your own." Tone is appropriate to audience, subject and purpose.

Form of your Review:

Required MLA format is always correct.

B Contract

Content of your Review:

Some attempt at explaining of the text's thesis, its argument, its scope, the material it handles, its arrangement, etc. In the case of a collection of essays, you will need a description of the kinds of essays in the collection and an indication of its general slant, the scope or range of essays included, the kinds of materials they handle, etc. If you review a collection you may give more extensive consideration to several of the essays rather than all of them. Analysis of these matters could be more fully developed, but in general is strong.

Some assessment of the text's scholarly rigor (documentation, use of evidence, apparent awareness of other writers on the subject, useful bibliography or index or appendices, etc.).

Evaluation could be more fully substantiated and more persuasively argued.

A clear indication and explanation of the text's strengths, usefulness, value, importance, etc., as well as its limitations and/or weaknesses

Some use of evidence from the text to substantiate your claims, though treatment of the text is sometimes generalized. Argument is logical but could use more evidence.

Mechanics and Style of your Review:

All mechanics correct. Statement of your ideas is usually clear though the writing could be revised for greater clarity and effectiveness. Voice sounds human and "your own." Tone is appropriate to audience, subject and purpose.

Form of your Review:

Required MLA format almost always correct.

C Contract

Content of your Review:

Some attempt at explaining of the text's thesis, its argument, its scope, the material it handles, its arrangement, etc. In the case of a collection of essays, you will need a description of the kinds of essays in the collection and an indication of its general slant, the scope or range of essays included, the kinds of materials they handle, etc. If you review a collection you may give more extensive consideration to several of the essays rather than all of them. The analysis could be clearer, more fully developed and more successful in getting at the text's ideas and presentation. Analysis could be sharper, more pointed, and more clearly stated.

Some indication and explanation of the text's strengths, usefulness, value, importance, etc., as well as weaknesses. Analysis needs fuller development and clarity.

Some evidence from the text is included to substantiate claims, but more is needed. Review tends to generalize without offering concrete evidence

Mechanics and Style of your Review:

Mechanics flawed at times. Statement of ideas not always clear. Sentences are awkward at times. Review has some problems finding "your own voice." Tone usually appropriate to subject, audience and purpose.

Form of your Review:

MLA form has minor flaws in places; all documentation information for sources is provided, though not always in the proper format.

D Contract

Work does not meet the minimum standards for C-level work as outlined above in that the analysis is weak and rudimentary, the argument unpersuasive because of lack of evidence, mechanics flawed at times and MLA form flawed but there is an attempt at proper documentation.

F Contract

Work falls below the D-level in that the analysis, argumentation, mechanics and MLA format are too deeply flawed to be acceptable work