Name/Period: _______________________________________
COMPARISON-CONTRAST ESSAY RUBRIC
CATEGORY
Purpose &
Supporting Details
Exceeds the Standard (4)
The paper clearly compares and
contrasts points that are
sophisticated, offers specific
examples to illustrate the
comparison, and includes only the
information relevant to the
comparison.
Organization &
Structure
The paper breaks the information
into point-by-point or block-byblock structure. It follows a
consistent order when discussing
the comparison.
Transitions
The paper moves smoothly from
one idea to the next and uses
transition words and subtle
transitions to show relationships
between ideas.
-Hook-Underline Red
-Thesis-Underline
Blue
-2-3 Reminder of
Main Points
-Highlight Strong
finishing sentence
-6 Compare/Contrast
within the body
paragraphs (2 per
paragraph)
-1 introduction
-1 conclusion
Grammar &
Spelling
(Conventions)
Writer makes no errors in
grammar or spelling that distracts
the reader from the content.
Meets the Standard
(3)
The paper compares
and contrasts points
clearly, but the
supporting information
is general, and/or the
points are basic. The
paper includes only the
information relevant to
the comparison.
Does Not Meet the Standard (2)
The paper mostly compares and
contrasts points clearly, but the
supporting information is incomplete
or missing, and/or may include
information that is not relevant to
the comparison.
Fails to meet the Standard (1)
The paper compares or contrasts,
but does not include both.
There is no supporting information or
support is incomplete.
The paper breaks the
information into pointby-point structure or
block-by-block, but may
not follow a consistent
order when discussing
the comparison.
The paper moves from
one idea to the next,
but may lack or misuse
transition words to
show relationships
between ideas.
Organizational pattern not
identifiable. Some details are not in a
logical or expected order, and this
distracts the reader.
Transitions may be missing;
connections between ideas are fuzzy
or illogical.
The transitions between ideas are
unclear or nonexistent.
Writer makes 1-2 errors
in grammar or spelling
that distract the reader
from the content.
Writer makes several errors in
grammar or spelling that distracts
the reader from the content.
Writer makes more than 4 errors in
grammar or spelling that distracts the
reader from the content.
Many details are not in a logical or
expected order. There is little sense
that the writing is organized.
Overall
What to turn in:
 Rubric on top
 Graphic organizer(s)
 Rough Draft(s)
 2 Copies of essay-1 clean copy, 1 with marks/labels
 12-14 font, Title, Double-Spaced
score: _____/100
Grade _____