Business Writing — Professor Dunphy
Grading Standards
Spring 2022
My primary concern is with your learning and development as a writer and thinker; this should
be your primary concern as well. What you learn in this course will be much more important in
your academic and professional development than your final letter grade. To develop as a
business writer, you should understand the commitment required as expressed in the following
grading standards:
The A Assignment – Excellent
The A assignment is excellent and greatly exceeds the expectations of the assignment and the
audience. Writing is thorough and focused on in-depth analysis. The writer has done
significantly more than the assignment required. Ideas are accessible and expressed clearly. The
assignment is interesting to read and makes the reader think; therefore, the writing has impact.
The assignment offers insights that were not discussed in forums. The writing is concise. Sources
are clearly and appropriately identified. If the assignment has been revised, it has likely been
rethought and rewritten extensively. The assignment is free from grammatical issues.
Discussions: Posts include a full explanation of the writer’s reasoning and demonstrate that the
writer has thought critically about their own ideas or position. Posts include specific details and
examples that support the writer’s clear viewpoint; they respond directly to points others have
raised in the forum or raise new questions in response to others’ ideas. The writing adds useful
insights to the conversation and moves our thinking to a deeper level. Posts include a title that
incorporates a description or call to action. The assignment is free from grammatical issues.
The B Assignment – Good
The B assignment is good and exceeds the expectations of the assignment and the audience.
Writing is specific and shows evidence of careful thought and reflection. The writer has done
something more than the assignment required, up to and including multiple revisions. Ideas are
expressed clearly overall but may need more explanation. The writing has some impact. The
writing is generally concise, but there may be areas that could be improved. Sources are clearly
and appropriately identified. Care has been taken with the assignment; it has been proofread and
is largely free from grammatical issues.
Discussions: Posts express a clear viewpoint and stay focused on analysis, and ideas are
developed with specific examples. The writer explains their reasoning and responds to ideas or
questions raised elsewhere in the forum. The writer may add new questions that deepen the
discussion. Posts include a title that incorporates a description or call to action. Care has been
taken with posts; they have been proofread and are largely free from grammatical issues.
The C Assignment – Satisfactory
Every student in this course can earn a C on an assignment. The C assignment is satisfactory; it
meets expectations adequately. The assignment meets some, but not all, of the audience’s needs.
Clarity, conciseness, and impact are adequate. The assignment is organized into paragraphs that
contain examples, but the examples might need development. Some paragraphs may need
restructuring for clarity, e.g., paragraphs might need refocusing around one central idea. Overall,
the discussion lacks specifics and over-generalizes. Writing relies on summary and needs to
focus more on analysis. Grammatical control and proofreading need improvement.
Discussions: Posts express a viewpoint, although clarification might be needed. Posts contain
some analysis, though they may also contain a lot of summary. The writer has reflected on their
own reasoning. The assignment is organized into paragraphs that contain examples, but the
examples might need development. Some paragraphs may need restructuring for clarity, e.g.,
paragraphs might need refocusing around one central idea. Posts include a title that summarizes
content. Posts may skim over several ideas rather than dig deeply into one or two. Grammatical
control and proofreading need improvement.
The D Assignment – Minimum Passing Grade
The D assignment falls below the expectations of the assignment and the audience. D work
reflects a lack of clarity/incoherent thought, insufficient impact, wordiness, and poor (or no)
proofreading. The assignment might be organized into paragraphs that connect to each other in a
basic way but need reorganization. Paragraphs may need clearer focus, additional examples, or
more development. Writing relies heavily on summary and needs to focus more on analysis.
There may be serious grammatical interference, e.g., sentence structure issues. Many D
assignments could get a higher grade with more effort.
Discussions: Posts may include some examples, but the writer needs to reflect on their reasoning
and position more fully. Posts may stray from the focus of the forum or jump among several
ideas. Posts do not directly respond to points or questions others have raised and may be a lastminute submission. The assignment might be organized into paragraphs that connect to each
other in a basic way. Paragraphs may need clearer focus, additional examples, or more
development. Posts include a title that does not connect to the content. Posts may have serious
grammatical interference, e.g., sentence structure issues. Many D posts could get a higher grade
with more effort.
The F Assignment – Failure
The student has not fulfilled the assignment in the case of an F. The assignment is not
acceptable, either because it is not submitted, largely incomplete, or plagiarized. Plagiarism will
be reported to the program director for this course.
Discussions: The posts (initial and responses) are not acceptable, either because they are not
submitted, largely incomplete, or plagiarized. Plagiarism will be reported to the program director
for this course.
For more information regarding New York University’s grading system, including details on the
university’s point system, please review the following link: NYU’s Grading.This assignment focuses on professional business writing