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| Criteria | 20 Points | 15 Points | 10 Points | 5 Points | 0 Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Topic Sentence | Clearly restates and answers the question with a strong, focused topic sentence. | Restates and answers the question, but the topic sentence is somewhat unclear or unfocused. | Attempts to restate and answer the question, but the topic sentence is unclear or incomplete. | Does not restate the question or provide a clear answer. | Missing or does not address the question at all. |
| Background Information | Provides thorough and relevant background information that enhances understanding. | Provides relevant background information, but it may be incomplete or lack depth. | Provides limited background information that may not fully support understanding. | Background information is minimal and does not aid understanding. | Missing or irrelevant background information. |
| Textual Evidence | Includes a well-chosen quote that strongly supports the answer. | Includes a quote that supports the answer, but it may not be the best choice. | Includes a quote, but it is weak or only partially supports the answer. | Quote is present but does not support the answer effectively. | Missing or irrelevant quote. |
| Commentary 1 | Thoroughly explains why the evidence is relevant to the answer. | Explains why the evidence is relevant, but lacks depth or clarity. | Attempts to explain relevance, but it is unclear or insufficient. | Explanation is minimal and does not clearly connect evidence to the answer. | Missing or does not explain relevance. |
| Commentary 2 | Thoroughly explains how the evidence proves the answer. | Explains how the evidence proves the answer, but lacks depth or clarity. | Attempts to explain how the evidence proves the answer, but it is unclear or insufficient. | Explanation is minimal and does not clearly connect evidence to the answer. | Missing or does not explain how evidence proves the answer. |
| Concluding Sentence | Effectively restates the topic sentence, reinforcing the main idea. | Restates the topic sentence, but may lack effectiveness or clarity. | Attempts to restate the topic sentence, but it is unclear or incomplete. | Does not restate the topic sentence effectively. | Missing or irrelevant concluding sentence. |
| Length Requirement | Paragraph meets the minimum length requirement of 6 sentences. If not, the score is 0. | ||||
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