Augustine's famous remark that he knows what time is until someone asks him opens Book 11, and it sets the tone for a demanding reading. He argues that the past no longer exists, the future does not yet exist, and the present has no length, then proposes that time is somehow a stretching of the mind. Students who write on this passage are attempting something difficult. Graders should be ready to reward honest effort alongside accuracy.

The most common failure in these essays is vagueness. A student writes that Augustine thinks time is subjective and then moves on without explaining what that means or where he says it. A better paper traces how he gets from the puzzle about the present moment to the idea that we measure time in memory, attention, and expectation. When you read, look for whether the student can follow the steps of the argument, not just state its conclusion.

Because the material is abstract, concrete examples are a good sign. Augustine himself uses the example of reciting a psalm, noting how the recited part, the part being said, and the part still to come all exist in the mind. Students who explain this example in their own words usually understand the point. Those who mention it only in passing may be borrowing a phrase they do not fully grasp.

A Rubric for Philosophical Reading

A strong rubric here separates three skills: reconstructing the argument, evaluating it, and writing clearly about it. Many students can do the first and struggle with the second, which is normal. Score each skill separately so that a student who explains Augustine well but offers a weak evaluation still receives credit for what they did. This also tells them exactly where to improve.

• Accurately reconstructs Augustine's puzzle about past, present, and future
• Explains the psalm example in the student's own words
• Evaluates whether locating time in the mind is persuasive
• Uses book and chapter references for key claims
• Writes clearly without relying on long block quotations

Giving Useful Comments on Hard Papers

Struggling students often need a model of what a good explanation looks like. Rather than rewriting their sentences, show a sample sentence and ask them to revise their own in a similar spirit. Questions such as "what does Augustine mean by the present having no length?" can prompt clearer thought. This approach keeps ownership of the work with the student.

Be careful not to penalize students for admitting confusion in a thoughtful way. A paper that says the argument seems to lead to a puzzle, and then explains the puzzle precisely, may be better than a confident but inaccurate one. Your rubric should explicitly reward precise statements of difficulty. This encourages honest engagement.

Handling Large Classes

When many students tackle Book 11, grading can become repetitive, since they often make the same errors. Keep a list of the most common misreadings, such as treating Augustine's view as a claim that time is imaginary. You can then address these issues quickly with prepared comments. This saves effort and ensures every student hears the same correction.

AI feedback tools can help by applying your rubric to each draft and highlighting where the argument is unclear or unsupported. The teacher still decides whether the interpretation is correct. In practice, this combination catches structural and evidence issues quickly while preserving expert judgment. It also keeps comments consistent across sections.

Preparing Students Before They Write

Much of the grading burden can be reduced by teaching the passage well. Spend class time working through the psalm example, and have students explain it to a partner. When students can say it aloud, they can usually write it. Ungraded practice paragraphs also help them test their understanding before the real essay.

Share a short exemplar paragraph that explains one step of the argument clearly. Students learn a great deal from seeing what a good explanation sounds like. Keep it brief enough that they adapt the method rather than copy it. Done well, this turns a notoriously difficult book into a rewarding assignment.