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Each composition is graded on four levels: 1) Accents and punctuation; 2) Spelling; 3) Grammar; and 4) Content.
Each category is worth 25 points, for a total of 100 possible points. No extra credit is awarded on compositions.
Not all instructors use this rubric. If a different rubric is used, it has been approved by the Coordinator of Beginning and Intermediate French.
1) Accents and punctuation
You should make sure to add the appropriate accents to your composition when you're working on the first draft, and you should make sure to check the accents when you're working on the second draft and/or proofreading your work.
Punctuation must be used to indicate the end of a sentence, divide a sentence or a group of words into one or more sections, and separate items in a list within a sentence.
2) Spelling
It is ultimately your responsibility to spell words correctly, even if you use software to help you check spelling. You cannot depend on a machine to do something that you are supposed to be learning. If you depend on Microsoft Word or some other software to check your spelling, you have to accept the risk that what the software tells you might be wrong.
Make sure to use correct endings on adjectives since adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify.
Make sure to use correct endings on past participles.
These two types of problems will be counted as spelling errors and not as grammatical errors.
3) Grammar (sentence structure and appropriate use of parts of speech such as nouns, verbs, pronouns, etc.)
If you use a structure such as "J'écoute à un CD de..." it will be marked as incorrect because the French verb écouter or any form of it does not need the preposition à following it. That is just one example of a structural or syntactic error. Another common problem is the agreement of the subject and the verb. If you use il as your subject and your verb is in the nous form, this will be marked as wrong.
4) Content (appropriate vocabulary and organization of ideas/content)
If you use vocabulary that is not appropriate, points will be deducted. You need to try to use vocabulary from your book and other vocabulary that you have reviewed and used in class if you want to make sure that the words you are using are the right ones within the context of the topic of your assignment.
You also need to make sure that you plan your ideas before you write the composition. If your composition is simply a bunch of French sentences thrown together, points may be deducted for the lack of organization in the written presentation of your ideas.