William Street Core Writing Rubric
4 - Excellent
3 - Good
2 - Fair
1 - Unsatisfactory
Ideas and Content
 Clearly addresses all parts of
the task
 Provides richly detailed ideas
with supporting evidence
Ideas and Content
 clearly addresses all parts of
the task
 provides adequate amounts of
details with supporting
evidence
Ideas and Content
 attempts to address or
addresses some parts of the
task
 provides details, but may be
brief and lack elaboration
Ideas and Content
 does not address the task
 does not include details or
focus may go off in several
directions
Organization
 includes a strong introduction
that captivates the reader and
continues throughout the piece
 sequence of ideas enhances the
quality of the piece
Organization
 includes an introduction, body,
and conclusion
 connect ideas so that piece is
easy to follow
Organization
 may be lacking an introduction
and/or conclusion
 ideas are hard to follow
Organization
 no attempt at organization is
made
 does not organize information
in a logical way
Voice
Voice
Voice
Voice
writer’s voice engages the
reader originally and in a lively
manner throughout the piece
 reflects personal involvement
by the writer consistently
throughout the piece
Word Choice
 uses sophisticated vocabulary
throughout the piece
 vocabulary creates a striking
visual for the reader throughout
the piece



writing holds reader’s interest
reflects personal involvement
by the writer in the piece


writing attempts to insert voice
periodically in the piece
reflects minimal personal
involvement by the writer in
the piece


writing does not hold the
reader’s interest
reflects no personal
involvement by the writer in
the piece
Word Choice
 experiments with new and
interesting words
 word choice has clarity and
expression
Word Choice
 uses varied, but basic
vocabulary
 word choice may be vague or
inaccurate
Word Choice
 uses basic vocabulary
 word choice does not connect
to meaning
Sentence Fluency
 crafts effective sentences that
flow in a smooth rhythm
 sentences length and variety
enhance the piece
Sentence Fluency
 crafts complete sentences
 sentences vary in length and
variety
Sentence Fluency
 crafts some complete sentences
 sentences are repetitive, brief,
or run-ons
Sentence Fluency
 makes repeated, serious
sentence errors
 sentences are difficult to follow
Conventions
 paragraphing is evident
throughout the piece
 contains few spelling,
grammar, and capitalization
errors does not interfere with
meaning
Conventions
 proper paragraphing is evident
throughout the piece
 may contain some spelling,
grammar, and capitalization
errors does not interfere with
meaning
Conventions
 proper paragraphing is not
evident throughout the piece
 makes frequent errors in
spelling, grammar, and
capitalization that does
interfere with meaning at times
Conventions
 paragraphing is not attempted
 text is incomprehensible due to
errors