COMPARE AND CONTRAST ESSAY RUBRIC
CATEGORY
Introduction
Excellent Demo of Skill (A)
Uses unique, relevant, & interesting rhetorical tech; is fully developed, relates to aud. well, and naturally links to topic; thesis previews key parts with specific language and uses parallelism
Body:
Examples &
Support
Conclusion
Organization &
Transitions
Grammar,
Editing, &
Language
Formatting
Compares & contrasts items clearly; uses the best, most specific examples/quotes to illustrate the comparison, and includes quality & thorough discussion to prove each point.
Shows an in-depth understanding of the subject.
Effectively rewords thesis; expands on topic’s importance; naturally comes full circle to hook
(not repetitive); powerful/ intriguing final idea to make aud. think about the topic
Examples compared with point-bypoint structure; follows a consistent order when discussing the comparison. All details/¶s follow a logical order. A variety of sophisticated transition words/ phrases used to smoothly link ideas within and between ¶s
Writer makes only minimal errors in grammar, caps, punct, or spelling that do not distract the reader from the content. Paper is nearly flawless. Uses accurate and sophisticated word choice. Leadins to quotes are fluent and create a smooth readability.
Completely follows guidelines carefully
Consistent Demo of Skill (B)
Hooks aud. attn. with interesting rhetorical technique but may be a bit vague or underdeveloped; link to topic makes sense; thesis previews key ideas with some specifics and uses parallelism
Compares & contrasts items clearly, and uses relevant (but not always the best) examples/details. Includes support for each example to adequately prove each point. Shows a solid understanding of subject, but may not be as thorough as it could be.
Rewords thesis; connects back to big idea of topic and tries to relate it to audience clearly; returns to hook but may be repetitive
Examples compared with point-bypoint structure but may not follow a consistent order when discussing the comparison. Details/¶s follow a logical order. A variety of transition words/ phrases used to link ideas within and/or between ¶s. Sentences are often combined effectively.
Writer makes occasional errors in grammar, caps, punct, or spelling that may occasionally distract the reader but do not affect overall understanding or readability. Uses accurate & effective word choice overall. Lead-ins to quotes are generally smooth and grammatically correct.
Follows guidelines except for a few minor oversights or minor errors
Inconsistent Demo of Skill (C-D)
Hook is underdeveloped or not very effective; may not clearly connect to audience; link to topic seems awkward or choppy; thesis previews key ideas but lacks specifics, is out of order, or is awkwardly arranged
Comparisons & contrasts may be unclear or inaccurate at times; examples are too general, or support does not prove each point fully. Paper needs more development & better discussion of examples. Shows a general knowledge of the subject.
Thesis and main ideas/topic restated, but under-developed in some aspect: topic is just restated; does not return to hook; lacks final effort to impact the aud. in meaningful way
Info compared with an unclear pattern. Sometimes more of a list than a comparison. Details /¶s not always in logical order. Transitions may be repetitive, too simplistic, are sometimes used incorrectly, or not used often enough. Choppy sents. need combined more often.
Writer makes obvious and somewhat distracting errors in grammar, caps, punct, or spelling that indicate some carelessness in editing and/or a need for grammar review. Uses vague or inaccurate words at times. Lacks lead-ins to some quotes/somewhat awkward.
Tends to disregard the guidelines or lacks attn. to detail
Ineffective Demo of Skill (F)
Lacks a hook or clear link to topic; or, thesis is missing, vague, out of order
The paper’s comparison/contrast is incomplete, and may include information that is not relevant to the comparison or is incorrect. Lacks enough examples and support to show a general knowledge of the subject.
Only restates thesis or main idea and does not effectively return to the big idea of the topic or paper
Organizational pattern not easily identifiable. Reads as lists of info, not a comparison. Significant details are out of logical or expected order, and this distracts the reader.
Transitions are not used effectively; sentences and ideas are choppy, unrelated, or “fuzzy”.
Writer makes several errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. Edited below grade-level, shows serious carelessness and/or skill deficiency.
Uses inaccurate words; shows little effort to expand vocab. Lacks leadins to most quotes; awkward.
Has multiple obvious oversights or does not seem to use guidelines.