Essay Rubric – Honors
Grammar, Punctuation, etc. 10% - The writer is expected to correctly use grammar, punctuation, Standard English, and correct syntax to
clearly express the points made in the essay.
10
8
7
6
5
No Discernible Errors – Writer makes almost no errors in grammar, punctuation, Standard English, and/or syntax.
Minor Errors – Writer makes a few errors in grammar, punctuation, Standard English, and/or syntax.
Some Errors – Writer makes noticeable errors in grammar, punctuation, Standard English, and/or syntax that detracts from the
essay
Many Errors – Writer makes frequent and simple errors in grammar, punctuation, Standard English, and/or syntax.
Too Many Errors – Errors in grammar, punctuation, Standard English, and/or syntax make the essay unintelligible.
Thesis 20% - The thesis statement in the introduction of the essay gives a clear and concise direction for the essay that allows the reader to
clearly understand the overall point the essay is making.
20
16
14
12
0
Strong – Thesis statement clearly states the overall point of the essay and outlines the arguments that will be made to support the
thesis. The thesis statement fully answers the prompt.
Adequate – Thesis statement states the overall point of the essay. It does not fully outline arguments to come or might be unclear
about what the author will argue to support the thesis statement. The thesis statement answers the prompt.
Needs Improvement – Thesis statement answers the promptly too vaguely or too generally. It does not outline any of the
arguments to support the main idea of the paper. The thesis statement answers the prompt.
Lots of Improvement Needed – Thesis statement does not answer the prompt.
No Thesis
Strength of Arguments 20% – Arguments are thoughts expressed in the essay to prove the thesis is correct. The writer is expected to present
arguments in a way that makes sense to the reader and cannot be easily disproven. Each argument should have multiple pieces of evidence
from either primary or secondary sources.
20
16
14
12
0
Strong – The arguments made in the essay are logical, convincing, and use evidence appropriately to support the ideas that are
being expressed. All arguments support the thesis of the paper. There are no apparent weaknesses in the arguments.
Adequate – The arguments make sense and use some amount of evidence to prove them correct. The arguments help to support the
thesis.
Weak – The arguments are confusing and/or do not use solid evidence to support them. The thesis is not fully supported by these
arguments.
Very Weak – The arguments are hard to understand and/or use little evidence to support them. Very weak arguments often have
contradictory ideas and/or have evidence that disproves the argument.
No Arguments Made
Articulation and Clarity 10% – The writer is expected to write in a way that is easily understood by the reader. Articulate papers leave little
doubt about the ideas that writer is trying to get across.
10
8
7
6
Strong Articulation – Reader is easily able to understand all of the arguments, thoughts, explanations, etc. the writer is making.
Adequate Articulation – Reader is easily able to understand most of the arguments, thoughts, explanations, etc. the writer is
making.
Weak Articulation – Reader has some difficulty understanding some of the arguments, thoughts, explanations, etc. the writer is
making.
Inarticulate – Reader has difficulty understanding most or all of the arguments, thoughts, explanations, etc. the writer is making.
Evidence 20% - The writer is expected to use evidence from the various sources in order to support the arguments and thesis of the essay.
This evidence should be specific and related to the topic of the paper. The writer is also expected to explain the connection between the
evidence and the arguments or thesis that is presented. Evidence must come from a reliable source.
20
16
14
12
0
Strong – Evidence from various sources strongly supports all of the ideas that are presented in the essay. The evidence is specific to
the topic of the paper. The writer fully explains the connection between the evidence and the arguments and thesis.
Adequate – Evidence from various sources supports many of the ideas that are presented in the essay. The evidence is specific to
the topic of the paper. The writer vaguely explains how the evidence and thesis or arguments are related.
Improvement Needed – Evidence only partially supports the ideas expressed in the essay. The evidence is related to the general
topic of the paper. The writer does not adequately explain how the evidence and thesis or arguments are related.
Lots of Improvement Needed – Evidence is used but does not support the main ideas of the essay. The evidence is slightly or not
at all related to the topic of the essay. No explanation about the connection between the evidence and arguments.
No Use of Evidence
Coherence and Organization 10% - The best essays are understandable because of their organization – not just what is said. Coherent essays
maintain one train of thought throughout the entirety of the essay. Each paragraph should have one main idea it is trying to get across, and it
should not get off topic for any part of the essay.
10
8
7
6
0
Strong – Essay is clearly thought out and organized in a way that lets the reader fully understand the main points of the essay. The
essay does not get off topic at any point in the essay.
Adequate – Essay is planned and lets the reader see the main points of the essay. The essay is mostly on topic.
Needs Improvement – Essay has some errors in organization that make some of the main points vague or unclear. The essay gets
off topic consistently.
Lots of Improvement Needed – Essay has errors in organization that force the reader to assume what the writer is trying to say.
The essay is hard to understand because it does not maintain one train of thought for most of the essay.
Completely Unorganized – Essay has too many organizational errors to be understandable. Essay is not focused and is incoherent.
Citations 10%: Citing sources show the reader where information came from and lets them see if it came from a reliable source. The writer is
expected to cite all sources used in the paper – even if they are not direct quotes from the source – using parenthetical notation or footnotes.
The writer is also expected to have a properly formatted works cited page or bibliography.
10
5
0
Complete
Incomplete
No Citations
_________ / 100 Total Score
Essay Rubric – Standard
Grammar, Punctuation, etc. 10% - The writer is expected to correctly use grammar, punctuation, Standard English, and correct syntax to
clearly express the points made in the essay.
10
8
7
6
5
No Discernible Errors – Writer makes almost no errors in grammar, punctuation, Standard English, and/or syntax.
Minor Errors – Writer makes a few errors in grammar, punctuation, Standard English, and/or syntax.
Some Errors – Writer makes noticeable errors in grammar, punctuation, Standard English, and/or syntax that detracts from the
essay
Many Errors – Writer makes frequent and simple errors in grammar, punctuation, Standard English, and/or syntax.
Too Many Errors – Errors in grammar, punctuation, Standard English, and/or syntax make the essay unintelligible.
Thesis 15% - The thesis statement in the introduction of the essay gives a clear and concise direction for the essay that allows the reader to
clearly understand the overall point the essay is making.
15
12
11
10
0
Strong – Thesis statement clearly states the overall point of the essay and outlines the arguments that will be made to support the
thesis. The thesis statement fully answers the prompt.
Adequate – Thesis statement states the overall point of the essay. It does not fully outline arguments to come or might be unclear
about what the author will argue to support the thesis statement. The thesis statement answers the prompt.
Needs Improvement – Thesis statement answers the promptly too vaguely or too generally. It does not outline any of the
arguments to support the main idea of the paper. The thesis statement answers the prompt.
Lots of Improvement Needed – Thesis statement does not answer the prompt.
No Thesis
Strength of Arguments 20% – Arguments are thoughts expressed in the essay to prove the thesis is correct. The writer is expected to present
arguments in a way that makes sense to the reader and cannot be easily disproven. Each argument should have multiple pieces of evidence
from either primary or secondary sources.
20
16
14
12
0
Strong – The arguments made in the essay are logical, convincing, and use evidence appropriately to support the ideas that are
being expressed. All arguments support the thesis of the paper. There are no apparent weaknesses in the arguments.
Adequate – The arguments make sense and use some amount of evidence to prove them correct. The arguments help to support the
thesis.
Weak – The arguments are confusing and/or do not use solid evidence to support them. The thesis is not fully supported by these
arguments.
Very Weak – The arguments are hard to understand and/or use little evidence to support them. Very weak arguments often have
contradictory ideas and/or have evidence that disproves the argument.
No Arguments Made
Articulation and Clarity 15% – The writer is expected to write in a way that is easily understood by the reader. Articulate papers leave little
doubt about the ideas that writer is trying to get across.
15
12
11
10
Strong Articulation – Reader is easily able to understand all of the arguments, thoughts, explanations, etc. the writer is making.
Adequate Articulation – Reader is easily able to understand most of the arguments, thoughts, explanations, etc. the writer is
making.
Weak Articulation – Reader has some difficulty understanding some of the arguments, thoughts, explanations, etc. the writer is
making.
Inarticulate – Reader has difficulty understanding most or all of the arguments, thoughts, explanations, etc. the writer is making.
Evidence 15% - The writer is expected to use evidence from the various sources in order to support the arguments and thesis of the essay.
This evidence should be specific and related to the topic of the paper. The writer is also expected to explain the connection between the
evidence and the arguments or thesis that is presented. Evidence must come from a reliable source.
20
16
14
12
0
Strong – Evidence from various sources strongly supports all of the ideas that are presented in the essay. The evidence is specific to
the topic of the paper. The writer fully explains the connection between the evidence and the arguments and thesis.
Adequate – Evidence from various sources supports many of the ideas that are presented in the essay. The evidence is specific to
the topic of the paper. The writer vaguely explains how the evidence and thesis or arguments are related.
Improvement Needed – Evidence only partially supports the ideas expressed in the essay. The evidence is related to the general
topic of the paper. The writer does not adequately explain how the evidence and thesis or arguments are related.
Lots of Improvement Needed – Evidence is used but does not support the main ideas of the essay. The evidence is slightly or not
at all related to the topic of the essay. No explanation about the connection between the evidence and arguments.
No Use of Evidence
Coherence and Organization 15% - The best essays are understandable because of their organization – not just what is said. Coherent essays
maintain one train of thought throughout the entirety of the essay. Each paragraph should have one main idea it is trying to get across, and it
should not get off topic for any part of the essay.
15
12
11
10
0
Strong – Essay is clearly thought out and organized in a way that lets the reader fully understand the main points of the essay. The
essay does not get off topic at any point in the essay.
Adequate – Essay is planned and lets the reader see the main points of the essay. The essay is mostly on topic.
Needs Improvement – Essay has some errors in organization that make some of the main points vague or unclear. The essay gets
off topic consistently.
Lots of Improvement Needed – Essay has errors in organization that force the reader to assume what the writer is trying to say.
The essay is hard to understand because it does not maintain one train of thought for most of the essay.
Completely Unorganized – Essay has too many organizational errors to be understandable. Essay is not focused and is incoherent.
Citations 10%: Citing sources show the reader where information came from and lets them see if it came from a reliable source. The writer is
expected to cite all sources used in the paper – even if they are not direct quotes from the source – using parenthetical notation or footnotes.
The writer is also expected to have a properly formatted works cited page or bibliography.
10
5
0
Complete
Incomplete
No Citations
_________ / 100 Total Score