Name______________________________________
Date________________ Period: ______
Case ___________________________________________________
DBQ Assessment Rubric
TOTAL: ___________ out of 20/5 = ______________
CRITERIA
0. MISSING
1. INITIAL
Introduction
and Thesis
There is no
introduction
The writer provides a relevant
introduction to the essay topic
and a thesis with 3 or less points
of argumentation
Claim
Body
paragraphs
do not begin
with a claim
Claims are present but
struggle to make sense or
indicate the argument being
made in each body paragraph
Evidence
Analysis
Language
Conventions
2. MEETS
3. COMPETENT
The writer provides a
somewhat accurate and
concise introduction to the
essay topic and a thesis
with 3 points of
argumentation
Each body paragraph
begins with a claim that
somewhat lets the reader
preview the paragraph’s
point of argumentation and
subject matter
Each body paragraph
introduces a piece of
evidence that is somewhat
supportive of the claim being
made
The writer provides a
mostly accurate and concise
introduction to the essay
topic and a strong thesis
with 3 points of
argumentation
Each body paragraph
begins with a claim that
lets the reader preview the
paragraph’s point of
argumentation and subject
matter
Each body paragraph
introduces a piece of
evidence that is generally
supportive of the claim being
made
Each body paragraph
introduces a piece of evidence
that is directly supportive of the
claim being made
The writer mostly explains
the meaning of how the
evidence supports the claim
drawing on reasoning
and/or other supportive
details
The writer clearly explains the
meaning of how the evidence
supports the claim drawing on
reasoning and other
supportive details
No evidence
is present
Evidence is not supportive of
claim
No analysis
is present
Each paragraph makes an
attempt to explain the
connection between the claim
and evidence but in a way
that is inadequate or unclear
The writer partially explains
the meaning of how the
evidence supports the claim
drawing on reasoning
and/or other supportive
details
Language shows a basic
control
Language is adequate
Language is
unable to be
understood
Sentences show a little variety
and word choice is
appropriate
Errors may be distracting and
may occasionally impede
understanding
Some sentence variety and
appropriate word choice
There may be some
distracting errors, but they
do not impede
understanding
Language is competent
Sentences are somewhat
varied and word choice is
sometimes varied and
precise
There may be a few errors,
but they are rarely
distracting.
4. EXEMPLARY
The writer provides an
accurate and concise
introduction to the essay topic
and a strong thesis with 3
points of argumentation
Each body paragraph begins
with a strong claim that lets
the reader preview the
paragraph’s point of
argumentation and subject
matter
The essay shows a good
command of language
Sentences are varied and
word choice is varied and
precise
There are few, if any, errors to
distract the reader.