Annual Essay Competition Grading Guidelines

The essays should be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:


ORGANIZATION            15 Points

Essays should be evaluated for their structure, organization and methodical approach. Students should be able to start with a clear understanding of the topic and formulate a framework for discussion at the outset. The essay should then go through the argument and support with relevant references.  The applicability of the topic should then be discussed followed by an analysis of the impact. Finally, a conclusion should be clearly stated.


CONTENT                       45 Points

Students should be able to synthesize their knowledge of Islam and be able to relate to the topic of discussion. The argument should be supported with cogent citations from the Quran and Sunnah. Citations should be clearly explained and discussed to reflect that the student understands its pertinence to the topic.  Students are expected to draw from the syllabus at their level. They should be able to express their understanding of the subject and relate to its impact on their lives and lives of others.


EXPRESSION                     25  Points

Essays are an opportunity for the students to express themselves clearly at their level. Points should be awarded for coherence, persuasiveness and eloquence. Students should set themselves apart by expressing their understanding of the Quranic text and the ability to explain metaphors and allegories. They should also be able to draw convincing comparisons to other sources such as Ahadith and Tafaseer.


SPELLINGS, GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION             15  Points

Essays should be evaluated for spellings, grammatical correctness, linguistic and structural soundness and proper punctuation.  Points should be awarded for correct sentence structure and syntactic accuracy.