Name
Writing Assessment Holistic Scoring Guide
Focus
Demonstrates an awareness
of audience and task.
Establishes and maintains a
clear purpose. Sustains
single point of view.
Exhibits clarity of ideas.
Content
Information and details are
specific to topic.
Information and details are
relevant to focus.
Ideas are fully developed.
Organization
Logical order of sequence is
maintained. Paragraphs deal
with one subject. Logical
transitions are made within
sentences between and
paragraphs. Introduction
and conclusion are evident.
Style
Precise language. Effective
word choice. Voice, tone
originality of language.
Variety of sentence
structures, types and lengths.
Conventions
Mechanics: spelling,
capitalization, punctuation.
Usage (e.g. pronoun
references, subject-verb
agreement).
Sentence completeness
6: clear and consistent
5: reasonably consistent
mastery
mastery
Essay has a sharp, distinct
focus, and effectively and
insightfully develops a point
of view, on the issue while
demonstrating outstanding
critical thinking
Date
4: adequate mastery
3: developing mastery
2: little mastery
1: little or no mastery
Essay has a clear focus and
effectively develops a point
of view on the issue and
demonstrates strong critical
thinking
Essay has adequate focus
that develops a point of view
on the issue and
demonstrates competent
critical thinking
Essay has a vague focus that
develops a point of view on
the issue and demonstrates
some critical thinking
Essay has a confused focus
that develops a point of view
on the issue that is seriously
limited, and reflects weak
critical thinking
Essay has a complete absence
of focus that develops no
viable point of view on the
issue and demonstrates no
critical thinking
Essay uses substantive,
specific and illustrative
content, clearly appropriate
examples, reasons, and other
sophisticated ideas that are
particularly well developed
to support its position
Essay has specific and
illustrative content that
generally uses appropriate
examples, reasons, and other
evidence to support its
position
Essay has sufficient content
that uses adequate examples,
reasons, and other evidence
to support its position
Essay has limited or
repetitive content,
inconsistent or inadequate
examples, reasons, or other
evidence to support its
position.
Essay has superficial
content providing
inappropriate or insufficient
examples, reasons, or other
evidence to support its
position
Essay has irrelevant content
and provides little or no
evidence to support its
position
Essay demonstrates obvious
control, clear coherence, and
a smooth progression of
ideas with sophisticated and
subtle transition between
ideas.
Essay is logically and
appropriately organized and
demonstrates a clear
coherence and a true
focused progression of
ideas
Essay is appropriately
organization and
demonstrates some
coherence and mostly
focused progression of
ideas
Essay is inconsistently
organized and demonstrates
a limited focus and lapses in
coherence and a faulty
progression of ideas
Essay is poorly organized
and demonstrates serious
problems with coherence ,
focus, and a faulty
progression of ideas
Essay has an absence of
organization and an
unfocused, disjointed and/or
incoherent progression of
ideas
Exhibits skillful use of
language (word choice) and
meaningful variety in
sentence structure, while
using a varied, accurate, and
apt vocabulary that
effectively conveys the
writer’s tone
Exhibits precision and
variety in sentence structure
and word choice, while using
a varied, accurate, and apt
vocabulary that clearly
conveys the writer’s tone
Exhibits adequate but
inconsistent facility in the
use of language, some
precision and variety in
sentence structure and word
choice
Exhibits weak vocabulary
and inappropriate and
inconsistent word choice ,
limited sentence variety and
problematic sentence
structure
Exhibits very little use of
language, uses very limited
vocabulary and has incorrect
word choice with frequent
problems in sentence
structure
Exhibits no apparent control
over sentence structure and
word choice; displays
fundamental errors in
vocabulary
Essay is generally free of
most errors in grammar,
usage, and mechanics
Mechanical and usage
errors not severe enough to
interfere significantly with
the writer’s purpose
Repeated Weaknesses
resulting in an accumulation
of errors in grammar, usage,
and mechanics
Mechanical and usage
errors that seriously
interfere with the writer’s
purpose
Mechanical and usage error so
severe that writer’s ideas are
difficult, if not impossible, to
understand
Essay is free of most
errors in grammar, usage,
and mechanics
Nonscorable: An essay can and will be deemed nonscorable for any the following reasons: is illegible i.e.; includes so many undecipherable words, is incoherent, i.e.: words are legible but syntax is garbled.
Assignment:
Using MLA format, answer the following questions in 2-4 word processed/typed pages. (75 pts)
This essay is due March 13 th.
Nearly 75 years after Brave New World was published many of Huxley’s warnings have come true. Select either his warning about science and technology, genetics, overpopulation, government, or psychology and defend its
“truism” in present society. Make certain to also show Bradbury’s shared concern for the warning as presented in the novel Fahrenheit 451. You must use only 3 quotes, no block quotes.
Name
Assignment:
Writing Assessment Holistic Scoring Guide
Date
Using MLA format, answer the following questions in 2-4 word processed/typed pages. (75 pts)
This essay is due March 13 th.
Nearly 75 years after Brave New World was published many of Huxley’s warnings have come true. Select either his warning about science and technology, genetics, overpopulation, government, or psychology and defend its
“truism” in present society. Make certain to also show Bradbury’s shared concern for the warning as presented in the novel Fahrenheit 451. You must use only 3 quotes, no block quotes.