An oft-debated subject in schools is the criteria we use to grade students’ writing. In any setting, adjudicating writing requires some degree of subjectivity, but what constitutes “fair” grading? It seems a mired and unclear subject; two different graders, looking at the same work, could grade it completely differently. Whether these differences arise from preconceptions as to what the student’s writing should look like or other personal factors, the fact remains that they exist and can be the difference between a successfully completed assignment and a minor failure. So what is the best way to truly grade a student’s writing? Here are two different takes on the subject.

Jacob’s Take: The approach teachers take to grading writing can have consequences for students.

While it’s true that writing is an important subject, teachers and graders should be careful about their approach to grading. Student writing should be approached from a straightforward stance, devoid of any pretensions about structure and language used in an “exemplary” essay. Focal points should instead be the students’ ability to clearly express their ideas. Coming at the situation from that angle will allow teachers to grade based on how well a student communicates, rather than how well the student is able to follow a cut-and-dried, “proper” template. In order for this to transpire, however, teachers must first do away with preconceptions and allow students greater freedom for how to organize their writing assignments. As much as it is important for students to be proficient in writing, the potential for variation in grades and difference in method of assessment from one grader to the next may outweigh the benefits that grading our students’ writing can herald. When teachers grade essays, as much as we’d like to think that they approach the students’ writing with a mindset of the strictest objective arbitration, the teachers (being human) will always have pretensions – whether from the student’s past work and behavior, or from their own preconceived notions of what an “exemplary” essay should look like – these pretensions lead the graders to different conclusions than they might otherwise draw. This accounts for much of the margin of difference between teachers in their grading. When a variation in preconceived ideas about students can make the difference between a passing and a failing grade, it is time to question the way we approach grading.

Grant’s Take: Grade writing more like other subjects, and the playing field would be more leveled.

Ask any teacher why they give tests, and they will say: “To see what you learned,” or maybe, “To see how well you learned the skills that were taught in this course.” If we think of writing an essay as a test in an English class, then what the teachers can assess is how well the student learned how to analyze literature, use the English language, and properly convey idea, which are basic tenets of a typical English classroom. The difference English has from other classes like math and science is that there is no right answer to essay questions. It seems difficult to grade a complicated math problem the same way as an essay because one has a definite answer and one does not, but both have processes to them. Not only that, but both have multiple different ways in which you can complete them. English students should be encourage to pick different kinds of writing styles to answer questions as math students pick different steps to solve a math question. For some students, combining makes more sense for solving equations, for others, eliminating is more effective. If both processes yield the same answer, which if done correctly they should, than the two are equally valid. In turn, if one writing style answers the question as effectively as another, than teachers should give equal credit to both. Any given coherent essay deserves the same grade as another given essay if teachers perceive the same ideas from them, even if the second essay is a style that a teacher is more suited to. Not only will this help us even out essay grades, but perhaps new kinds of academic styles will emerge successfully if students are not pressured to follow the same old process just to ensure a better grade.