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High School Essay Grading Rubric
This rubric is designed to evaluate high school essays to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of expected performance. It assesses various components of effective essay writing to ensure students meet educational standards. The aim is to offer clear criteria and performance levels, which assist both grading and guiding students in improving their writing skills.
Rubric Criteria
Criteria | Excellent (4) | Good (3) | Fair (2) | Poor (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Thesis Statement | Clear, well-developed, and strongly supported throughout the essay. | Clear and supported, but may be somewhat lacking in development or support. | Present, but unclear or weakly supported in parts of the essay. | Absent or not related to the essay content. |
Organization | Logical sequence, clear introduction, body, and conclusion with excellent transitions. | Organized with clear introduction, body, and conclusion, but some weak transitions. | Attempts organization but is unclear or confusing. Poor transitions. | Disorganized and lacking a sense of direction. |
Content and Support | Rich details and examples that fully support thesis with in-depth analysis. | Good details and examples, adequately supports thesis with analysis. | Basic details, limited support and analysis; repetitive or insufficient examples. | Minimal or irrelevant details; little to no support or analysis. |
Grammar and Mechanics | Free from errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar. | Few errors, but they don't interfere with understanding. | Some errors that interfere with understanding. | Frequent errors that interfere with readability and understanding. |
Style and Voice | Engaging style and unique voice suitable for the intended audience. | Noticeable style and voice, mostly suitable for audience. | Attempts at style and voice, but inconsistent or inappropriate for audience. | Lacks style and voice entirely, inappropriate for audience. |
Weighting System
Each criterion is scored from 1 to 4, with the total possible score being 20. Final grades can be calculated based on this score, with greater weight potentially given to more significant criteria such as Content and Support or Thesis Statement, depending on instructional priorities.
Feedback/Notes
Provide additional comments here to address specific strengths or areas for improvement in the student's essay. This space allows for personalized feedback that can help guide the student's development in writing skills.
Templates
Templates
