WRITING PROGRAM RUBRIC

GRADE EARNED	IDEAS/CONTENT	ORGANIZATION	LANGUAGE
A	The essay shows very original, intelligent, and perceptive thought, and all ideas are fully developed and very well supported.	The essay shows a clear, appropriate structure and evidence of thoughtful, original planning, and the sequence of ideas is easy to follow. The essay also uses good transitions consistently and has no significant lapses in overall structure. The essay is also cohesive on a sentence level.	The essay has few minor, basic errors, and the diction and phrasing are clear, vigorous, and fresh.
B	The essay shows some original thought and authentic engagement, and some ideas are developed and well supported.	The essay shows a clear structure and evidence of thoughtful planning, and the sequence of ideas is easy to follow. The essay also uses some good transitions.	The essay has no major, distracting basic errors, and the diction and phrasing are clear but not vigorous or fresh.
C	The essay shows some thought and engagement, but the ideas are not developed and well supported or seem cliché or unoriginal.	The essay shows a clear but ordinary structure, and the sequence of ideas is easy to follow because the essay uses some transitions.	The essay has few distracting basic errors, and the diction and phrasing are clear but not vigorous or fresh.
D	The essay shows some thought but no real engagement with the topic, and the ideas are difficult to understand.	The essay shows no clear structure, and the sequence of ideas is difficult to follow.	The essay is marred by enough basic errors to distract the reader, and/or the diction and phrasing are ambiguous.
F	The essay shows no thought or does not address the topic.	The essay is poorly constructed, and the reader cannot follow the sequence of ideas.	The essay is marred by numerous basic errors (grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and spelling), and/or the diction and phrasing are hard to decipher.