Grading of Written Work

This page provides detailed information on the grading criteria with respect to any written work:

Part II of the Exam

Approximately 250 words

Relevance of the essay to the topic selected (50%)
- Are laws and doctrines discussed relevant to the selected topic? (25%)
- Are all relevant laws and doctrines invoked? (25%)
Accuracy in the understanding and application of legal principles (50%)
- Are the laws and doctrines described and applied with accuracy? (25%)
- Does the discussion demonstrate an accurate understanding of the inter-connection between the different laws and doctrines invoked? (25%)

Approximately 500 to 1,500 words

Relevance of the essay to the topic selected (40%)
- Are laws and doctrines discussed relevant to the selected topic? (20%)
- Are all relevant laws and doctrines invoked? (20%)
Accuracy in the understanding and application of legal principles (40%)
- Are the laws and doctrines described and applied with accuracy? (20%)
- Does the discussion demonstrate an accurate understanding of the interconnection between the different laws and doctrines invoked? (20%)
Clarity and logical development of the arguments (20%)
- Is the development of each argument clear and logical? (20%)

Approximately 1,500 to 2,000 words

First day of the Exam Period

Relevance of the essay to the topic selected (20%)
- Are laws and doctrines discussed relevant to the selected topic? (10%)
- Are all relevant laws and doctrines invoked? (10%)
- Are any wholly irrelevant laws or doctrines invoked in the discussion? (- 5%)
Accuracy in the understanding and application of legal principles (40%)
- Are the laws and doctrines described and applied with accuracy? (20%)
- Does the discussion demonstrate an accurate understanding of the interconnection between the different laws and doctrines invoked? (20%)
Clarity and logical development of the arguments (30%)
- More than mere relevance and accuracy, are concepts introduced developed with clarity with respect to their role and purpose? (15%)
- Is the development of each argument clear and logical? (15%)
Overall understanding of the U.S. system (10%)
- Does the discussion demonstrate an understanding of how the laws and doctrines invoked fit into the broad themes of U.S. Constitutional Law? (5%)
- Is the discussion situated accurately in the broader context of the issues discussed in class? (5%)

Approximately 5,000 to 10,000 words

Last day of the Exam Period.

Relevance of the essay to the topic selected (20%)
- Are laws and doctrines discussed relevant to the selected topic? (10%)
- Are all relevant laws and doctrines invoked? (10%)
- Are any wholly irrelevant laws or doctrines invoked in the discussion? (- 5%)
Accuracy in the understanding and application of legal principles (20%)
- Are the laws and doctrines described and applied with accuracy? (10%)
- Does the discussion demonstrate an accurate understanding of the interconnection between the different laws and doctrines invoked? (10%)
- Are there any wholly inaccurate descriptions? (- 5%)
Clarity and logical development of the arguments (20%)
- More than mere relevance and accuracy, are concepts introduced developed with clarity with respect to their role and purpose? (10%)
- Is the development of each argument clear and logical? (10%)
Overall understanding of the U.S. system (20%)
- Does the discussion demonstrate an understanding of how the laws and doctrines invoked fit into the broad themes of U.S. Constitutional Law? (10%)
- Is the discussion situated accurately in the broader context of the issues discussed in class? (10%)
Comparative Law Content (20%)
- Is the comparative analysis rigorous and precise? (10%)
- Are all comparisons convincing, accurate, and relevant? (10%)
- Is there a want of genuine comparative analysis? In other words, is the comparative discussion merely descriptive? (-15%)