Kyle Bishop

Essay Grading Rubric

Category A (4) C (2) F (0)
Purpose/ Purpose and thesis are original Purpose is clear and adheres to Assignment fails to fulfill the
Thesis and sophisticated, delving the assignment description. requirements or lacks a clear
beyond the surface of the Thesis is readily identifiable. purpose or thesis.
assignment.
Organization/ Essay shows complex Essay contains a clear No organization. Poor structure
Logic rhetorical development. introduction, body, and with incoherent paragraphs. No
Paragraphs are tight, well conclusion. Paragraphs make transitions are used to join
structured, and logical. sense and are linked with arguments.
appropriate transitions.
Idea Ideas delve beneath the surface Ideas are sophisticated and Ideas are basic or incoherent.
Development and say something new and logically developed. Readers
original. can readily follow the ideas.
Content/ Analysis depth exceeds Essay goes beyond summary, Essay is shallow and basic,
Details expectations. Details are providing in-depth analysis and focusing on surface details
thorough, advanced, and specific claims. only.
sophisticated.
Generalizations If generalizations are made, Many claims are too general Unsupported generalizations
they are warranted by the and lack specific support. and stereotypes abound.
content of the essay.
Evidence/ Evidence is presented with Evidence is drawn from the text Ideas and claims have no
Citation sophistication, style, and or another reputable source. support or evidence is
finesse. Documentation of Evidence is pertinent, valid, unfounded; source material is
sources is flawless. and documented correctly. used with no attempt at
documentation.
Audience/ Polished tone clearly tailored to Appropriate tone for academic Casual, colloquial tone.
Tone an appropriate, academic writing. Generally formal with Inappropriate use of slang.
audience. no second-person pronouns. Written to a non-academic
audience.
Style/ Style is sophisticated, Essay reflects appropriate Style is inappropriate for the
Expression advanced, and varied. Sentence academic style with subject matter. No variety is
style and structure is likewise consistency. Variety is shown shown in sentence structure or
impressive. in sentence structure. content.
Grammar/ No grammar or punctuation Few grammar errors are Grammar is sloppy with
Punctuation errors exist. present. Essay has clearly been numerous surface errors.
proofread and edited.
Format/ Essay is perfectly formatted Essay conforms to required Essay does not conform to
MLA according to MLA format with minor errors. required format.
requirements.