Traits of Strong Writing
Tomlinson
Description of Content and
Organization
Description of Style
The ideas in the piece:
-are focused and purposeful
-are clear and well developed with
detail, description, or supporting
evidence as appropriate to the piece
-are original or insightful, capturing
the reader’s
attention/interest/imagination by
going beyond the obvious
-reflect a sense of audience and fulfill
a reader’s expectations. The writer
strengthens ideas by anticipating
possible reactions and questions and
addresses them in the piece
The voice of the piece:
-expresses appropriate emotion for
the piece
-establishes an appropriate sense of
narrator for the piece
-uses appropriate language and tone
for the piece
The organization of the piece:
-starts strong with a meaningful title,
effective lead, and/or effective
introductory paragraph that captures
the reader’s interest and introduces
the topic
-has an overall structure that groups
ideas together clearly and
meaningfully. The beginning, middle,
and end work together as a whole. No
information seems out of place
-moves forwards in an order that
helps to develop the ideas.
Transitional words and phrases
create connections and relationships
between groups of ideas helping
show the development of thought
through the piece
-ends with a strong conclusion that
reviews main ideas and/or ends with
a meaningful image, feeling, or
thought for the reader to consider
The word choice:
-stands out at key moments/is
memorable
-shows use of powerful verbs and
precise nouns and modifiers
-naturally fits the piece (never seems
overdone or wordy)
Fluent sentences are:
-rhythmic when read aloud
-are of varying lengths and structures
-break grammar rules purposefully
and only for stylistic emphasis
Description of Format and
Conventions
-capitalization is used everywhere it
is needed
-spelling is correct on all commonly
used words
-punctuation marks are used
everywhere needed, and act as cues
to help the reader read the piece
fluently
-effective grammar shows in correct
tense of verbs, proper agreements,
and competent sentence structures
-word confusions or occurrences of
awkward usage are rare (if they occur
at all)
-formatting follows the appropriate
conventions for the genre of the
piece
Revision/Evaluation Guide for Writing
D EVELOPING: This writing is just getting started. It feels like a rough draft that has
been typed. Some attempt is made to organize the material, but it is not successful.
The reader can not easily follow the writing due to vague thinking and/or awkward
writing. The writer either does not understand the material, or has trouble expressing
his/her understanding. Generally lacks focus. The writer’s voice is either not present or
not appropriate for the writing task. Little about the style of the paper reflects the
“writer behind the words.” The writing may have distracting grammar and conventions
errors.
P ROFICIENT: This writing is complete, but still lacks skill and polish. In general, the
writer seems to know the material well enough, but could be more precise and
sophisticated in his/her presentation of details, evidence, and information. The author
organizes the writing to be clear, coherent, and well suited to purpose and audience,
although paragraph structure and/or transitions may be formulaic. Sentence structure
and word choice show some variety and creativity. The writing is generally well edited
with few grammar or conventions errors.
A DVANCED: This writing is innovative, creative, and perceptive. The purpose is specific
and precise details are used effectively to guide the reader’s understanding of that
purpose. Supporting evidence is plentiful, carefully chosen, and well analyzed. The
order and structure are compelling and move the reader through the text easily. The
sentence structure and word choices are advanced and demonstrate a sophisticated
understanding of the material. The author’s style adds to the readability of the piece
and a clear voice is present. The writing is well edited with few grammar or
conventions errors.