Revised: May 2017

Score Focus & Organization Development Language Conventions

In response to the task and the stimulus, the writing: In response to the task and the stimulus, the writing: The writing: The writing:

4 effectively establishes a relevant context and point

of view to engage and orient the reader and
effectively utilizes relevant narrative techniques, such as
dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection1, to thoroughly
illustrates consistent and
sophisticated command of precise
demonstrates consistent
and sophisticated
introduces a narrator and/or characters. develop experiences, events, and/or characters. language, including sensory command of grade-level
utilizes effective organizational strategies to effectively incorporates relevant, well-chosen details language, appropriate to the task. conventions of standard
establish a sequence of events and/or experiences from the stimulus. illustrates sophisticated written English.2
that unfold naturally and logically, creating a effectively demonstrates a clear understanding of the command of syntactic variety for may contain a few minor
smooth progression. task and stimulus by using relevant, well-chosen, meaning and reader interest. errors that do not
contains an effective conclusion that reflects on the descriptive details in order to convey a precise picture of utilizes sophisticated and interfere with meaning.
narrated experiences or events. the experiences, events, and/or characters. varied transitional words and
phrases.

In response to the task and the stimulus, the writing: In response to the task and the stimulus, the writing: The writing: The writing:

3 adequately establishes a relevant context and point

of view to engage and orient the reader and
adequately utilizes relevant narrative techniques, such as
dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection1, in order to
illustrates consistent command
of precise language, including
demonstrates consistent
command of grade-level
introduces a narrator and/or characters. sufficiently develop experiences, events, and/or sensory language, appropriate conventions of standard
characters. to the task. written English.2
utilizes adequate organizational strategies to
adequately incorporates relevant details from the illustrates consistent command contains occasional
establish a sequence of events and/or experiences
stimulus. of syntactic variety for meaning minor and/or major
that unfold naturally and logically, creating a smooth and reader interest.
adequately demonstrates an understanding of the task errors, but the errors do
progression. utilizes appropriate and varied
and stimulus by using relevant descriptive details in not significantly interfere
contains an adequate conclusion that reflects on the order to convey a precise picture of the experiences, transitional words and phrases. with meaning.
narrated experiences or events. events, and/or characters.

In response to the task and the stimulus, the writing: In response to the task and the stimulus, the writing: The writing: The writing:

2 conveys a limited, possibly confusing context and

point of view that may include a narrator and/or
utilizes some relevant narrative techniques, such as
dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection1, in order to
illustrates inconsistent command
of precise and/or sensory
demonstrates inconsistent
command of grade-level
characters. partially develop experiences, events, and/or characters. language. conventions of standard
contains a limited sequence of events and/or utilizes limited, if any, relevant details from the stimulus. illustrates inconsistent command written English.2
experiences that may be confusing or contain gaps demonstrates some understanding of the task and of syntactic variety. contains frequent errors
that interfere with the natural flow of events and/or stimulus by using some relevant details in order to utilizes basic or repetitive that may significantly
experiences. convey a limited picture of the experiences, events, transitional words and phrases. interfere with meaning.
contains a weak conclusion that may be only loosely and/or characters.
related to the narrated events or experiences.

In response to the task and the stimulus, the writing: In response to the task and the stimulus, the writing: The writing: The writing:

1 contains an unclear, irrelevant, or no context or

point of view.
contains no or an ineffective sequence of events
and/or experiences that may be brief, confusing, or
very hard to follow.
contains no or an irrelevant conclusion.
contains few or no relevant narrative techniques, such
as dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection1, in order
illustrates little to no use of
precise and/or sensory language.
demonstrates limited
command of grade-level
to develop experiences, events and/or characters. illustrates little to no syntactic conventions of standard
contains no or irrelevant details from the stimulus. variety. written English.2
demonstrates little to no understanding of the task and utilizes no or few transitional contains numerous and
stimulus by using no or irrelevant details, conveying an words and phrases. repeated errors that
unclear or no picture of the experiences, events, and/or seriously impede meaning.
characters.

1 Reflection is expected at grade 8.

2 Conventions of standard written English include sentence structure, grammar, usage, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.