Grading rubrics sales letter

Determining Grades for the Initial Sales Letter

A Range

A range papers have a strong understanding of audience, purpose, and the means of persuasion at hand.

• They should offer a clear paradigm, where the student uses strong research and presents it with confidence.
• There should be very few errors in writing.

B Range

B range papers have a clear understanding of audience and purpose.

• They describe a problem and offer a solution that is justified by research.
• They should also begin to set forth (or at least suggest or point toward) a consensus view (or paradigm) that will justify the project objective.
• They are generally well presented and relatively error-free.

C Range

C range papers not only address a reader's concerns but begin to use or reference research to justify an approach to those concerns.

• Often, they are making the appropriate gestures without reaching full potential.
• They may try to define a problem and offer a somewhat justified solution, but the research is not yet fully sufficient or well enough deployed to make a solid case.
• The research does not yet begin to gel into a paradigm, and sometimes the paper still exhibits some residue of the "report" format.
• Alternatively, a student may rely too heavily on summary of sources and research findings, rather than having the source material directed toward a specific goal. Sometimes a C range paper relies too heavily on pathos (emotion) rather than logos (logic), which is usually a sign of insufficient research.

F range

Reasons why a sales letter might receive a grade of F include:

• Fails to fulfill the basic requirements of the assignment (e.g.: minimal or missing bibliography, no in-text citations).
• Develops a very personal argument without sufficient reference to others (so that it should really be a letter to the editor rather than a project proposal).
• Fails to use or cite research, or uses inappropriate research.
• Focuses on the methods (how) while ignoring the researched justification (why).
• Presents an overly broad, or unfocused, or inappropriately large topic.
• Follows a "report of information" format, without a clear objective or application structuring the paper.
• Fails to address a specific audience.
• Exhibits a high level of error which interferes significantly with meaning.