Argument Rubric for AP English
**All essays, even those scored 8 or 9, may contain occasional flaws in analysis, prose style, or mechanics. Such features should
enter into the holistic evaluation of an essay’s overall quality. In no case may an essay with many distracting errors in grammar and
mechanics be scored higher than a 2.
9
– Essays earning a score of 9 meet the criteria for essays that are scored an 8 and, in addition, are especially full or apt in their
argument or demonstrate impressive control of language.
8
– EFFECTIVE
For those essays that are well-organized, demonstrate a command of the elements of composition and display evidence of stylistic
maturity. These essays identify the author’s argument, provide a thesis statement challenging, defending, or qualifying the author’s
argument; and they convincingly analyze the specific means by which that argument is achieved, while supporting their thesis
statement with evidence from their experience, observation, or reading. These essays may refer to the work explicitly or implicitly.
While the prose demonstrates an ability to control a wide range of the elements of effective writing it is not necessarily flawless.
If you work at this level, you have achieved critical thinking at the synthesis level of Bloom’s taxonomy. This means you put together elements
you have broken the piece into and presented to your reader an understanding of the text that indicates you have a clearly developed aesthetic
or rhetorical sense regarding this piece.
7
– Essays earning a score of 7 fit the description of essays that are scored a 6 but provide a more complete analysis or demonstrate a
more mature prose style.
6
– ADEQUATE
For essays that are somewhat less well-written: they may show occasional lapses in syntax, diction, or organization. These essays
identify the author’s argument, provide a thesis statement challenging, defending, or qualifying the author’s argument, and
adequately argue the extent to which that observation holds true, and support the argument with appropriate evidence. These
essays may refer to the work explicitly or implicitly.
If you work at this level, you have achieved critical thinking at the analysis level of Bloom’s taxonomy. This means you have broken the
material down into its constituent parts and detected the relationships of the parts and of the way they should be organized.
5
– Essays earning a score of 5 identify the author’s argument, argue the extent to which that observation holds true, and support their
opinions with appropriate evidence, but do so unevenly, inconsistently, or insufficiently. The writing is adequately written, though it
may not demonstrate stylistic maturity or confident control over the elements of composition. The writing may contain lapses in
diction or syntax, but it usually conveys the writer’s ideas. These ideas are correct in essentials if not explored in depth.
If you work at this level you are still working at analysis level but perhaps have provided a somewhat superficial argument. However, critical
thinking is still apparent.
4 – INADEQUATE
Essays earning a score of 4 respond to the prompt inadequately. They may have difficulty identifying the author’s argument or
making a clear statement challenging, defending, or qualifying their observation. These essays display an understanding of the passage,
but they may have difficulty arguing the extent to which their observation holds true, and the evidence may be insufficient. The prose
generally conveys the writer’s ideas but may suggest immature control of writing.
3 – Essays earning a score of 3 meet the criteria for a score of 4 but demonstrate less success in identifying the author’s argument and/or
making a clear observation of the writer’s position on this argument. These essays may demonstrate less success in arguing the extent to
which their observation holds true and/or supporting the argument with appropriate evidence. They may be less consistent in controlling
the elements of writing.
If you work at this level, you have demonstrated comprehension of the material, but you have not moved into higher level thinking skills
regarding this text.
2
– LITTLE SUCCESS
Essays earning a score of 2 may demonstrate little success in identifying the author’s argument or providing an adequate observation
of the writer’s position on this argument; these essays may demonstrate little success in arguing the extent to which that observation
holds true, and supporting the argument with appropriate evidence. These essays misunderstand the prompt, offer vague
generalizations, substitute simpler tasks such as summarizing the passage, or simply listing techniques, strategies, or ideas. The
prose may demonstrate consistent weaknesses in writing such as consistent errors in diction, spelling, or syntax.
If you work at this level, you do not comprehend the piece assigned and have not yet begun to work cognitively with this piece of literature.
1
For essays that are poorly written and/or contain no argument. These writings are undeveloped, especially simplistic in their
observations, or weak in their control of language.
0 – Essays earning a (0) are on-topic responses that receive no credit, such as those that merely repeat the prompt.
- Essays earning a dash (-) are blank responses or those that are completely off topic.