Difficulty: Beginner | Prerequisites: Body paragraph structure study notes
This is the companion set of notes to the body paragraph structure guide, focused on the subject matter itself: the debate over whether schools should keep or eliminate traditional letter grades. The source article, "Pros and Cons of Eliminating the Grading System," provides evidence for both sides. These notes extract the arguments, evidence, and reasoning you need to write a complete argumentative essay on this topic.
The debate over abolishing grades centres on two tensions: grades are simple, motivating, and widely understood, but they can also cause stress, encourage cheating, and reduce learning to a letter. For this assignment, the claim defended is that schools should keep grades, supported by their clarity and their role in motivating effort.
Grading system (letter grades)
The practice of assigning students a letter (A, B, C, D, F) to represent their overall performance on assignments, tests, or courses. In simple terms, it is the standard way schools communicate how well a student is doing.
Standards-based grading
An alternative system where students are assessed on whether they have mastered specific skills or standards, rather than receiving a single letter. Think of it as a checklist of competencies rather than a single mark.
Intrinsic motivation
The desire to learn or work because the activity itself is interesting or satisfying, not because of an external reward like a grade. In simple terms, doing something because you want to, not because you will be scored on it.
Extrinsic motivation
The drive to perform because of an external outcome such as a grade, a reward, or a consequence. Think of it as the carrot or the stick.
Accountability
The expectation that students are responsible for their academic performance and can see the results of their effort (or lack of it) reflected in their grades.
Academic dishonesty (cheating)
Actions taken to earn a grade through dishonest means, such as copying, plagiarism, or using unauthorised materials during a test. Relevant here because one argument against grades is that they incentivise cheating.
Clarity and simplicity. Letter grades give students a quick, understandable summary of their performance. Researcher Robert Feld Messer noted that "the simplicity of a letter grading scale makes it effective." A student can see at a glance whether they did well or poorly overall.
Identifying strengths and weaknesses. A bad grade on a test gives students a clear idea about their weaknesses and what areas need improvement. A string of good grades demonstrates where they excel. This feedback loop helps students focus their study time.
Motivation through accountability. If a student knows they are doing poorly, that knowledge can push them to put more effort into their work. Without grades, students have no concrete measure of whether their effort is paying off.
Consequences drive effort. When performance has a visible outcome (a grade), students are more likely to try on assignments. Remove that outcome, and some students will stop putting in effort because there is no consequence.
Stress and mental health. Students would show less stress if there were no grades. Constantly monitoring grades can be frustrating and anxiety-inducing.
Cheating incentive. The pressure to get good grades can push students toward academic dishonesty. Removing grades could reduce the motivation to cheat.
Surface learning. Students may focus on earning the grade rather than understanding the material, leading to memorisation without real comprehension.
Responsibility without fear. Having low grades can make students feel responsible for their work, but it can also make them feel defeated rather than motivated.
The article "Pros and Cons of Eliminating the Grading System" provides evidence for both sides. For the pro-grades position:
Grades give students "some sense of how good his performance has been on the whole whether, all things considered, he did 'well' or 'poorly'."
A bad grade on a test gives students "a clear idea about their weaknesses and what areas need improvement."
A string of good grades "demonstrates where they excel."
For the anti-grades position, the article notes reduced stress, less cheating, and the possibility that low grades demoralise rather than motivate.
Students often think that arguing for grades means you have to say grades are perfect. You do not. Acknowledging flaws (through a concession) and then explaining why grades are still the better option is a stronger move.
Students often assume "abolishing grades" means no feedback at all. Most proposals for eliminating grades still include written feedback, portfolios, or standards-based assessments. The debate is about the format of feedback, not whether feedback should exist.
Students sometimes confuse motivation caused by grades (extrinsic) with motivation caused by curiosity (intrinsic). Both can exist at the same time, and a strong essay acknowledges that.
Students often think that citing one quote from the article is enough evidence. A strong body paragraph typically uses at least two pieces of evidence and explains both.
This is a classic argumentative essay topic. Expect to see it phrased as "Should schools abolish letter grades?" or "Are traditional grades effective?" on exams and writing assessments.
Teachers will look for whether you can argue one side while still acknowledging the other. A one-sided essay that ignores counterarguments will score lower.
The specific evidence from the article (Feld Messer quote, the clarity argument, the stress argument) is the kind of material you will need to cite in a timed essay. Know where each piece of evidence fits.
If the prompt asks you to argue against grades, you can reverse the structure: your claim becomes "schools should abolish grades," and the counterclaim becomes the pro-grades position.
True or false: The main claim in this exercise is that schools should abolish grades. (False. The claim is that schools should keep the grading system.)
Fill in the blank: Researcher ______ said "the simplicity of a letter grading scale makes it effective." (Robert Feld Messer.)
True or false: One argument against grades is that they reduce student stress. (False. The argument is that removing grades would reduce stress. Grades themselves are said to cause stress.)
Fill in the blank: A good body paragraph includes a counterclaim, a ______, and a rebuttal. (Concession.)
True or false: If the exam prompt asks you to argue against grades, you cannot use any of this material. (False. You can reverse the structure, using the anti-grades arguments as your claim and the pro-grades arguments as your counterclaim.)
Q: State the thesis for the pro-grades position, including at least two reasons.
A: Schools should keep the grading system because having grades is easier to understand and because knowing they are doing poorly motivates students to put more effort into their work.
Q: Provide one piece of evidence from the article that supports the claim that grades are easier to understand.
A: Grades give students "some sense of how good his performance has been on the whole whether, all things considered, he did 'well' or 'poorly'." (From "Pros and Cons of Eliminating the Grading System.")
Q: What is the counterclaim to the pro-grades position, and what concession could you make?
A: The counterclaim is that grades should be abolished because they put too much stress on students. The concession is that having to pay attention to grades can be frustrating.
Q: Write a rebuttal to the counterclaim above.
A: However, without grades students would have no consequence for poor effort and no clear way to measure their own progress. Grades show students how well they are doing and motivate improvement.
Q: If you were asked to argue the opposite position (abolish grades), which piece of evidence from the article would you lead with, and why?
A: You could lead with the point that students would show less stress without grades, because stress and mental health are persuasive concerns for most audiences. You would then use the cheating incentive argument as supporting evidence.
This topic connects to any unit on persuasive or argumentative writing, since the grading debate is a common practice prompt. It also ties into education policy discussions if your course covers social issues or current events. The skill of arguing both sides of a debate (reversing your claim and counterclaim) is tested in many standardised writing assessments.
If you are studying rhetorical appeals, the pro-grades argument leans heavily on logos (logic and evidence), while the anti-grades argument often draws on pathos (stress, student wellbeing).
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