Evaluation and Grading of Philosophy Essays at the International Philosophy Olympiad

Abstract

The correct evaluation of philosophy essays is an important topic in the didactics of philosophy. Two central questions are which evaluation criteria should be used and how they should be applied to reach fair grades. Focusing in this article on the essay competition of the International Philosophy Olympiad (IPO), the list of five evaluation criteria for an argumentative essay at the IPO is discussed. It is argued that these criteria should be specified, their status should be clarified, and a grading method should be developed. The article contains an appendix with a very short guide for evaluators at the International Philosophy Olympiad.