Essay Rubric

Weighted Points
5 4 3 2 1 Value Earned
The essay is fully The essay is The essay is The essay is The essay shows
focused and contains consistently focused sufficiently focused minimally focused. little or no focus
IDEAS a wealth of ideas and contains ample and contains some The provided and the ideas are
 Main idea and examples. The ideas and examples. ideas and examples. examples are vague unclear, irrelevant,
 Supporting ideas
 Use of details
writer uses
rhetorical strategies
The writer may
employ rhetorical
The response is
generally
or general and the
response
or repetitive. The
response is
X2
 Awareness of purpose and addresses strategies or address appropriate to the demonstrates incomplete or too
 Sense of completeness counterarguments. counterarguments. persuasive purpose. minimal awareness. brief.

The organization of The organization is The organization is The organization is The essay shows
ideas supports the appropriate and the generally formulaic or little evidence of
ORGANIZATION writer’s focus. Ideas sequencing of ideas appropriate and the inappropriate. The organization or
 Introduction/body/conclusion are grouped in a is logical. Varied ideas are clearly response may lack a sequencing.
 Sequence of ideas logical manner. transitions are used. sequenced, but may clear introduction Transitions are not X1
 Effective transitions Effective and varied be repetitive. or conclusion. used. The response
transitions are used. Transitions are used Transitions are rare. is incomplete or too
brief.
The writer utilizes The language and The language and The language and The language and
carefully crafted tone of the essay tone are tone are uneven. tone are
STYLE phrases to create a enhance the appropriate. Word Word choice is inappropriate.
 Sentence variety sustained tone and persuasive purpose. choice is adequate, simple, ordinary, or Word choice is
 Word choice
 Audience awareness
an authoritative Word choice is but may be simple repetitive. There is incorrect or X1
voice. Word choice appropriate. or ordinary. Some minimal variation confusing. The
reflects an advanced Sentences are sentence variety is in sentence length response is
vocabulary. varied. evident. and structure. incomplete or too
brief.
The writer The writer The writer The writer The writer lacks
demonstrates full demonstrates demonstrates demonstrates understanding of
CONVENTIONS command of the knowledge of the sufficient control of minimal control of the conventions of
 Sentence formation conventions of conventions of the conventions of the conventions of written English.
 Subject-verb agreement
 Punctuation, spelling, and
written English written English. written English. written English. Errors are X1
language. No errors Errors are minor and Errors may Errors are frequent pervasive. The
capitalization are evident. do not interfere with interfere with and interfere with response is
meaning. meaning, but are meaning. incomplete or too
not distracting. brief.

TOTAL POINTS = ____________

21 - 25 = A
16 - 20 = B
13 - 15 = C
10-12 = D
9-0=F

Adapted from Buford High School’s Essay Grading Rubric. Retrieved from the GaDOE
http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Assessment/Pages/WA-Sample-Rubric.aspx