Evaluation Process

Each paper that is submitted to the National Writing Board is evaluated by two readers, who grade the paper in five areas:

I. Reading (Sources)
    Score: (1-6)
II. Thinking (Understanding)
    Score: (1-6)
III. Elaboration (Use of evidence)
    Score: (1-6)
IV. Writing (Use of language)
    Score: (1-6)
V. Overall Result
    Score: (1-6)

The total score (from 5, the lowest, to 30, the highest) is the average of the score given by each reader. Final scores have these equivalent grades:

Raw Score = Letter Category Reported Score 28-30 = A+ Superior 6 23-27 = A Very Good 5 18-22 = B Good 4 13-17 = C Average 3 8-12 = D Poor 2 5-7 = F Very Poor 1

Scores Distribution 2000-2011

Sample Reports

Four sample author reports are available on this website. All are in pdf format.

Author Report: "Average"
Author Report: "Good" (1)
Author Report: "Good" (2)
Author Report: "Very Good"