| Criteria / Topics | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose/Structure | The essay has a clear purpose and follows a logical structure with well-organized paragraphs. | The essay has a clear purpose and mostly follows a logical structure with mostly well-organized paragraphs. | The essay has a somewhat clear purpose and attempts to follow a logical structure, but some paragraphs may be disorganized. | The purpose and structure of the essay are unclear, and paragraphs are disorganized. |
| Development | The essay provides thorough and detailed information from the provided articles, using relevant examples and evidence to support ideas. | The essay provides sufficient information from the provided articles, using some examples and evidence to support ideas. | The essay provides limited information from the provided articles, with few examples or evidence to support ideas. | The essay provides minimal or no information from the provided articles, with no examples or evidence to support ideas. |
| Language | The essay demonstrates a strong command of grade-appropriate language, including varied vocabulary and sentence structures. | The essay demonstrates a good command of grade-appropriate language, with some varied vocabulary and sentence structures. | The essay demonstrates a basic command of grade-appropriate language, with limited varied vocabulary and sentence structures. | The essay demonstrates a limited command of grade-appropriate language, with repetitive vocabulary and simple sentence structures. |
| Introduction | The introduction clearly introduces the topic and provides background information, engaging the reader. | The introduction introduces the topic and provides some background information, attempting to engage the reader. | The introduction introduces the topic, but lacks background information and fails to engage the reader. | The introduction does not clearly introduce the topic or provide any background information. |
| Body | The body paragraphs provide clear and well-developed information, with smooth transitions between ideas. | The body paragraphs provide sufficient information, with some transitions between ideas. | The body paragraphs provide limited information, with weak transitions between ideas. | The body paragraphs provide minimal or no information, with no transitions between ideas. |
| Conclusion | The conclusion effectively summarizes the main points and leaves the reader with a clear understanding of the topic. | The conclusion summarizes the main points, but lacks clarity in leaving the reader with a clear understanding of the topic. | The conclusion attempts to summarize the main points, but lacks clarity and understanding of the topic. | The conclusion does not effectively summarize the main points or leave the reader with a clear understanding of the topic. |