The document provides a rubric for evaluating final exams on a scale of 0 to 4 points. It outlines the criteria used to assess exams in areas such as purpose and requirements, content development, writing conventions, syntax and mechanics, sources and evidence. Exams earning 0 points will receive an F for not meeting the benchmarks or being plagiarized. The document also defines plagiarism and the penalties for committing it. It provides guidelines for properly citing sources to avoid unintentional plagiarism.

1. Final Exam Evaluation Rubric
0 1 2 3 4
Score
0-4
The Final Exam is evaluated on a 4-point scale where 1 = D and
4 = A.
An exam that does not achieve the benchmarks in Level 1 or is
plagiarized will earn 0 points or an F.
Purpose and
Requirements
Demonstrates no
attention to the purpose
and requirements of
assignment.
Demonstrates minimal
attention to the purpose
and requirements of
assignment.
Demonstrates awareness
of purpose and

2. requirements of
assignment.
Demonstrates solid
understanding of the
purpose of the assignment
and a clear focus on the
assignment’s task(s).
Demonstrates a thorough
understanding of purpose of the
assignment that is responsive to
the assigned task(s) and focuses
all elements of the exam.
Content
Development
Does not use concepts
learned in course to
answer exam questions.
Employs information and
concepts from the course
but few are appropriate
and relevant and their
development or
application is limited.
Employs appropriate and
relevant information and
concepts from the course
but their development or
application is limited.

3. Employs appropriate and
relevant information and
concepts from the course
and their development or
application is consistent
throughout the exam.
Employs appropriate and
relevant information and
concepts from the course and
their development or
application is exemplary
throughout the exam and
indicates mastery of course
content.
College-Level
Writing
Conventions
Demonstrates no
attempt to use a
consistent system for
basic organization,
presentation, and
documentation.
Attempts to use a
consistent system for basic
organization, presentation,
and documentation.
Follows conventions
appropriate to college-

4. level writing for basic
organization,
presentation, and
documentation.
Demonstrates consistent
use of important
conventions of college-level
writing regarding
organization, presentation,
style, and documentation.
Demonstrates detailed attention
to and successful execution of
conventions of college-level
writing including organization,
presentation, formatting, style,
and documentation.
Control of
Syntax and
Mechanics
Uses language that
obstructs meaning
because of errors in
usage or imprecision.
Uses language that
sometimes impedes
meaning because of errors
in usage or imprecision.
Uses language that often
conveys meaning to

5. readers, although writing
may include some
grammatical or
mechanical errors.
Uses straightforward
language that conveys
meaning to readers clearly.
The writing has few
grammatical or mechanical
errors.
Uses graceful language that
skillfully communicates meaning
to readers with clarity and
fluency and is virtually error-
free.
Sources and
Evidence
Demonstrates no
attempt to use sources
to support ideas.
Demonstrates an attempt
to use sources in support
of some ideas.
Demonstrates
inconsistent use of
relevant sources to
support ideas.
Demonstrates consistent

6. use of relevant sources to
support main ideas.
Demonstrates skillful use of
relevant sources to support and
develop all ideas.
Total Points:
Plagiarism
In every course at National University, the way you present
your ideas in the papers you
write and the ideas themselves must be your own work. You
may not use essays or exams
in another class to fulfill the requirements for this class. If the
ideas and the way they are
presented is not your own work for this class, then you have
engaged in plagiarism. The
root of plagiarism is the Latin word plagiarius, which means
"kidnapper." Plagiarism is the
presentation of someone else's ideas as your own; that is, you've
"kidnapped" those ideas.

7. An obvious form of plagiarism is stealing someone else's words
and claiming they are yours.
Borrowing another author's sentence, phrase, or even a word
that person coined requires
you to use quotation marks and to properly cite the source of
the quotation. Restating
another author's ideas in your own words still constitutes
plagiarism unless you properly cite
the source of the ideas. Anytime you use three words in a row
from another author you
must cite your source.
You must give credit for factual information that is not either
the result of your own original
research or common knowledge. Major historical facts, like the
dates of the Crusades are
considered common knowledge, so you would not need to cite a
source for them. You
would, however, need to give credit to an author who provided
you with ideas or an
argument about the impact of the Crusades on the Eastern
Mediterranean.
You do not need to cite the source for a well-known proverb ("It
takes one to know one") or

8. a familiar quotation ("To be or not to be"). If you are not sure
whether or not you should
cite a source, go ahead and cite it. It is better to be safe than
sorry.
Plagiarism, like kidnapping, is a serious offense. Students found
plagiarizing may:
a) receive an "F" for the paper in which the plagiarism took
place
b) receive an "F" for the course in which the plagiarism
occurred
c) be expelled; and/or
d) be barred from graduate or professional schools at this or
other universities.
Copying another student's work and passing it off as your own
is also plagiarism. In the
case of a student copying another student's work, both or all
students will receive the same
academic penalty for plagiarism. That is, not only will the
person(s) who copied the work
get an "F," so will the person(s) who allow their work to be
copied.
To avoid unintentional plagiarism, be sure that you properly
quote, paraphrase, and cite the

9. sources for your ideas. The History program at National
University follows Chicago Style
Citation.
Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) citation guides are available
at the following websites:
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html
or
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/turabian/turabian_citation
guide.html
A CMOS-Formatted Essay with explanations is available at
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/1300991022_717.pdf.
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/turabian/turabian_citation
guide.html
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/1300991022_717.pdf
Alex Zukas
HIS 233
SUGGESTIONS FOR ESSAY EXAM WRITING
1. Analyze the exam question:
Figure out precisely what the exam question is asking you to do.
If there is a key
noun (causes, consequences) or verb (follow, diverge) in the
question, be sure that

10. your answers focus on it. This is the most important and often
the most difficult
part of the writing process.
2. Collect and sort information:
Read and re-read the textbook and the web sites. Make notes on
the passages in
the textbook and website(s) that contain the answer(s) you are
seeking. Review the
passages to see if they are the ones that best answer the
question(s).
3. Develop your thesis:
The thesis is your essay's main point in response to the essay
exam questions you
chose to answer. Answer them as directly and clearly as you
can. Having collected
and sorted information and formulated a thesis, it is now time to
compose your
essay.
4. Write the introduction:
The introduction should lead the reader smoothly to the thesis.
It should provide
necessary background information and let your reader know that
the piece of
writing to follow is well thought out.
You may want to start your essay with a challenge to the reader:
a striking quote,
an unusual piece of evidence, or an intriguing claim from the
theory or website.

11. Engage the reader's interest. Use active verbs and active voice
to keep the reader's
interest. Does the introduction state the essay's thesis? Have
you placed the rest of
your essay in a helpful but brief context?
5. Write the body:
You may present your information and ideas in any order you
wish but be sure they
have a logical relationship to each other. Your evidence needs
to support your
ideas. Be sure each paragraph has a topic sentence which states
the main idea of
that paragraph. Everything you write in that paragraph must
elaborate, defend, or
support that topic sentence. That is, each paragraph must
develop an identifiable
idea and only one idea. If you need more than one paragraph to
develop an idea,
be sure that the paragraphs develop different parts of the idea.
The sentences in your paragraphs will either be interpretive
(they present your
understanding and are often topic sentences) or evidential (they
provide examples
to support your interpretation).
Keep the coherence of your paper in mind. Is there a clear
relationship between

12. your examples and your topic sentence in every paragraph? If
read as a group, do
your topic sentences line up in support of your thesis?
Be sure to use transitional words and phrases (for example,
however, nevertheless,
thus, still, therefore, on the other hand, in addition,
furthermore, indeed, so far,
again, in conclusion, etc.) to signal the continuity of your
thought within and
between paragraphs. Ask yourself if your ideas flow easily from
one paragraph to
another by means of clear transitions. Sometimes using
conjunctions (but or yet) or
adverbs (for example, thus, furthermore, however, nevertheless)
helps. Repeating
key words (for example, feudal, ecstatic, unconventional,
Babylon) can be a
successful strategy if they are not overused. Using pronouns and
other words which
make a direct reference to ideas in the preceding sentence or
paragraph can help.
6. Write the conclusion:
In the conclusion you should emphasize the main point of your
essay in language
slightly different from your stated thesis. You should address
the question of the
topic’s significance and leave the reader with an idea to ponder.
If you can leave

13. the reader with a sense that you have not only mastered the
details of a topic but
that you have also thought about why it is important, you will
write a very effective
essay.
7. Read over the essay:
Proof-read carefully. Check for grammatical and mechanical
(spelling) errors. Read
the paper over for coherence. Does each paragraph express and
develop only one
central idea and do you have transitions between paragraphs so
that the reader is
led smoothly to your conclusion? Do the ideas in one paragraph
lead naturally to
the ideas in the next one?
The three most common types of comments I make on student
writing involve the
following issues: 1) (not) addressing the topic clearly and
directly; 2) (not) giving
enough concrete and persuasive evidence; or 3) (not) adequately
explaining how
the facts given support the argument.