In most subjects, grading is a simple matter of what’s missing. If students have a math or history test on Wednesday, studying the material—applicable formulae in math and the contexts surrounding historic events in history—will most likely yield a high grade. If they miss a logical progression in solving a problem, or a fact and its implications in history, then they will receive a lower grade because of what’s missing.

In the humanities, and especially English, that sort of formula only works for reading quizzes and work that can be quantified. Command of language, a graceful prose style, and level of complexity are qualities of the best English papers, but can’t be reduced to a formula.