Assess your paper, part 4
............Did you take risks?

Did you take risks? Did you dive into your topic, possibly changing course as you developed your ideas, and perhaps taking on too much? Or are you a gifted student who chose a narrow, easily tackled topic and dealt with it in a workmanlike way? I think you can see that someone who really engaged in his/her topic, and clearly shows original thinking--even tho the end product needs further development -- might well earn an "A" for the paper, whereas a very gifted student's workmanlike paper on the safe, narrow topic might earn a "B" or "B-plus."