When asked to describe an excellent essay, I am tempted to respond the way a Supreme Court justice did, famously, in a case that defined pornography: "I know it when I see it." But that does not really help, does it? So listed below you will find some of the distinguishing characteristics of A, B, C, D, and F essays. You will notice that the main evaluative categories are content, structure, argument, and mechanics. One more bit of advice: Coax a friend, roommate, parent, or stranger into reading drafts of your essays. Writers often do not see the flaws in their own writing.

• A essay: It has a strong, convincing argument (thesis). It addresses all parts of the assignment. It is written clearly and carefully, without unnecessary words. It demonstrates not only understanding of the basic issues but also of the importance of those issues. It shows perfect command of factual information. It supports interpretive statements with relevant examples from the evidence at hand. It demonstrates careful thought. It is organized logically from one point to the next in such a way that the reader cannot help but be convinced that the author's argument is correct. It is properly typed and proofread and contains no mechanical errors. In short, an excellent essay demonstrates the author's careful attention from start to finish.
• B essay: It is significantly more than competently written, using appropriate evidence to support its argument (thesis). It addresses all parts of the assignment, demonstrates clear thought and an understanding of all the issues involved, and contains no factual errors. It is almost free of mechanical errors, and it delivers substantial information in both quantity and interest-value. Its specific points are logically ordered, well developed, and unified around a clear organizing principle that is apparent in the paper. The opening paragraph draws the reader in; the closing paragraph is both conclusive and thematically related to the opening. The transitions between paragraphs are for the most part smooth, the sentence structures pleasingly varied. The words chosen by the author of a B essay are typically more concise and precise than those found in the C essay. In short, the B essay demonstrates the author's careful attention, but also has a few lapses or flaws.
• C essay: It is generally competent. Its argument is clearly stated but not completely convincing. It addresses the assignment, has few mechanical errors, and is reasonably well organized and developed. The actual information it delivers, however, seems thin. It sometimes introduces evidence without making clear what point that evidence is intended to support. The central ideas are clearly stated, but the writing style may be dull, or even murky in places. The opening paragraph fails to interest the reader in the rest of the essay. The reader will have questions left unanswered and may become confused in spots. Transitions between ideas are occasionally bumpy, and the organization could probably flow in a more logical way. In short, the C essay gets the job done but lacks careful attention to the subject and to writing.
• D essay: It addresses the assignment but has serious gaps or flaws. It does not demonstrate a clear understanding of the topic and probably lacks an argument (thesis). Assertions are made without supporting evidence to support them. The organization is present, but it is neither clear nor effective. It has little sense of direction. Sentences are frequently awkward and unclear. Serious mechanical errors make it difficult for the reader to understand the author's views. The author obviously did not proofread carefully. In short, the D essay often gives the impression that the author was not fully prepared and wrote in a hurry without much thought.
• F essay: Its treatment of the subject is superficial. There is no clear statement of an argument (thesis). The author fails to proceed logically from one idea to the next, but rather appears to write whatever comes to mind, whenever it comes to mind. It probably has mechanical errors so serious that they obscure the author's intended meaning. In short, the ideas, organization, and style fall far below what is acceptable college writing.