Central Bucks School District – Narrative Writing Rubric based on PA Core Standards
Students will write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events.
Focus (10)
Writing clearly to
convey a well-defined
controlling point
Organization (10)
Purposeful sequence
Content (20)
Ideas developed
through facts,
definitions, concrete
examples, explanations,
etc.
Voice and Style (5)
Choice, use, and
arrangement of words
and sentence structure
create tone and voice
Conventions (5)
 Engages and orients the reader by stating
a distinct problem, situation, or
observation and its significance,
establishing one or multiple points of
view, & introducing a narrator and/or
characters. (10-9)
 Establishes a clear problem, situation,
or observation and provides one or
multiple points of view while
introducing a narrator and/or
characters.
(8)
 Establishes a simple context
and point of view and
introduces a narrator and/or
character(s). (7-6)
 Does not establish an
identifiable context or point
of view
 Does not introduce an
identifiable narrator and/or
character(s). (5-0)
/10
 Creates a smooth progression of
experiences or events using a variety of
techniques to engage the reader and
sequence events so they build on one
another to create a coherent whole and
build toward a particular tone and
outcome
 Provides a clear endpoint that follows
from and reflects on what is experienced,
observed, or resolved over the course of
the narrative (10-9)
 Blends narrative techniques of dialogue,
description, and pacing, to enhance
experiences, events, and/or characters
 Uses precise and artful words and
phrases, relevant descriptive details, and
sensory language to convey a vivid
picture of the experiences, events,
settings, and/or characters. (20-18)
 Creates a progression of experiences
or events using techniques to
sequence events so that they build on
one another to create a coherent
whole
 Provides an endpoint that follows
from and reflects on what is
established over the course of the
narrative (8)
 Organizes a sequence of
events
 Endpoint is not distinct
(7-6)
 No logical structure
(5-0)
/10
 Uses narrative techniques such as
dialogue, description, and/or pacing,
to develop experiences, events,
and/or characters
 Uses words and phrases, relevant
descriptive details, and sensory
language to capture the action and
convey experiences and events.
(17-15)
 Uses figurative language to improve
the narrative in appropriate places.
 Understandable writing
 Varies sentence structure
 Awareness of audience
 Thoughtful, appropriate word choice
 Establishes an appropriate tone (4)
 Little use of narrative
techniques
 Little or irrelevant detail
(14-11)
 No attempt at using narrative
techniques
 Experiences, events, and
characters are non-existent
(10-0)
 Writing is somewhat
difficult to understand
 Repetitive/incorrect
sentence structure
 Limited understanding of
audience
 Limited word choice
 Tone is random (3)
 Writing is difficult to
understand
 Flawed sentence structure
 Lack of audience awareness
 Slang/Inappropriate word
choice
(2-0)
/5
 Adequate control of grammar,
mechanics, spelling, usage, and
sentence formation
 Errors in conventions do not
significantly impact meaning (4)
 Limited control of grammar,
mechanics, spelling, usage,
and sentence formation
 Errors in conventions impact
meaning (3)
 Little to no control of
grammar, mechanics,
spelling, usage, and sentence
formation
 Errors severely impact
meaning (2-0)
/5
 Uses precise language and figurative
language to enhance the tone and depth
of the narrative
 Clear and understandable writing
 Sophisticated and varied word choice
and sentence structure
 Strong awareness of audience
 Establishes and maintains an appropriate
and engaging tone. (5)
 Evident control of grammar, mechanics,
spelling, usage, and sentence formation
 Paper is virtually error-free (5)
/20
Central Bucks School District – Narrative Writing Rubric based on PA Core Standards
Students will write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events.