Category I: Focus, Organization, Coherence
Score 5: Excellent
All essays are extremely well focused, organized, and coherent.
Score 4: Good to Very Good
All or nearly all essays have and maintain a clear focus. Essays are organized and coherent.
Score 3: Fair
All or nearly all essays have a discernible focus, but occasional lapses in coherence or organization cause
the writing to temporarily lose focus in places.
Score 2 Marginal
Several essays lack a clear focus and/or fail to maintain the initial focus, making the writing hard to
follow.
Score 1 Poor to Very Poor
Most essays display serious problems with focus, organization, or coherence.
Category II: Rhetorical Awareness
Score 5 Excellent
The essays demonstrate sophisticated rhetorical choices that effectively engage the intended audience for different
writing situations (audience, purpose, genre). All essays focus on the purpose and show the writer understands the
conventions of format, structure, and language appropriate to the genre.
Score 4 Good to Very Good:
Overall, the essays demonstrate that the writer recognizes differences in rhetorical situations (audience,purpose,
genre) and can respond appropriately to those different situations. The writer is making rhetorical choices to meet
the needs of and engage audiences, although the strategies may not be as effective as in a “5.”
Score of 3 Fair
Overall the essays attempt to achieve the purpose/address the assignment and demonstrate the writer generally
understands the conventions of the genre. The writer has a general sense of audience. The writer may employ very
similar strategies, structures, and language in all or most essays in the folder, regardless of differences in rhetorical
situations.
Score of 2 Marginal
Overall the essays show the writer is offering a mechanical or formulaic response to the assignment or is not really
focusing on the purpose stipulated by the assignment. There is little attempt to meet the needs of or engage an
audience (even generally defined) OR in several essays the content, structure, or language is inappropriate.
Score of 1 Poor to Very Poor
In many essays, responses to the assignment are very mechanical or fail to focus on the purpose stipulated by the
assignment, OR the content, structure, and language is inappropriate for the rhetorical situation. The writer seems
unaware of an audience.
Category III: Critical Thinking/Developing Content
Score 5: Excellent
In all essays, topics are analyzed, synthesized, and evaluated in depth. The writer offers elaborated,
complex thinking.
Score 4: Good to Very Good
In nearly all essays, topics are analyzed, synthesized, and evaluated in general. The writer often offers
elaborated, complex thinking.
Score 3: Fair
In nearly all essays, topics are analyzed and synthesized sufficiently. The writer sometimes offers
elaborated, complex thinking.
Score 2: Marginal
In most essays, topics are not analyzed or developed beyond supplying some examples to support the
writer’s points. There is little evidence of elaborated, complex thinking, regardless of essay length.
Score 1 Poor to Very Poor
In all or nearly all essays, topics are not examined, developed, or supported beyond a very superficial
treatment. Essays are very short and underdeveloped.
Category IV: Using Texts or Sources
Score 5: Excellent
The writer’s use of material from other texts is expertly managed.
Score 4: Good to Very Good
The writer uses material from other texts to explore, construct, and develop his/her own ideas.
Incorporation of quotations, paraphrase, or summary into the writer’s text is graceful, and the relationship
between the source material and the writer’s ideas is clear and logical.
Score 3: Fair
The writer uses material from other texts, but sometimes source material dominates or is not as well
integrated as in a “4.” Incorporation of quotations, paraphrase or summary is adequate, but not
particularly graceful OR the relationship between writer’s text and source material is sometimes not
signaled.
Score 2: Marginal
The writer often allows source material to dominate OR incorporation of quotations, paraphrase or
summary is clumsy OR relationship between writer’s text and source material is unclear or sometimes
illogical.
Score 1: Poor to Very Poor
The writer does not demonstrate he/she can use material from other sources. The use of quotations,
paraphrase or summary is extremely disruptive, unclear, or illogical OR there is little evidence of sources
used.
Category V: Conventions of Documentation
Score 5: Excellent
Documented papers demonstrate the writer has mastered the required documentation form(s).
Score 4: Good to Very Good
Documented papers demonstrate the writer is consistently following the documentation style for in-text
and end citations. The writer seems to understand the concept, although there may be occasional, minor
errors in form.
Score 3: Fair
Documented papers demonstrate the writer can follow a documentation style for in-text and end citations,
although the writer has more frequent, minor errors in form than a “4.”
Score 2: Marginal
Documented papers demonstrate the writer understands the need for citation, but has some major
departures from the documentation style being used.
Score 1: Poor to Very Poor
Sources are not documented or documentation does not follow a recognizable style.
Category VI: Editing and Sentence Level Conventions
Score 5: Excellent
The writing demonstrates exceptional control (editing) of syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling as
appropriate for the purpose and audience.
Score 4: Good to Very Good
Overall, the writing demonstrates the writer can control (has carefully edited) syntax, grammar,
punctuation, and spelling as appropriate for the purpose and audience.
Score 3: Fair
The writing demonstrates the writer can usually control (has edited) syntax, grammar, punctuation, and
spelling, with occasional departures that only slightly interfere with accomplishing purpose.
Score 2: Marginal
The writing suggests that the writer does not yet have control over syntax, grammar, punctuation, and
spelling (or has not edited sufficiently.) More than occasional departures interfere with effectively
accomplishing purpose.
Score 1: Poor to Very Poor
Overall, the writing displays serious problems with syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling (or writer
has not edited). Attention to these features is required before the writing can begin to accomplish
purpose.