| Criteria | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | Difficulty understanding main ideas and details | Some difficulty understanding main ideas and details | Clear understanding of main ideas and details | Thorough understanding of main ideas and details |
| Thesis | Unclear or missing thesis statement | Weak thesis statement | Clear thesis statement | Strong, focused thesis statement |
| Organization | Disorganized and hard to follow | Somewhat organized | Well-organized | Highly organized and easy to follow |
| Evidence | Lack of relevant or sufficient evidence | Some relevant evidence | Strong use of relevant evidence | Extensive and compelling evidence |
| Analysis | Little to no analysis of evidence | Basic analysis of evidence | Clear analysis of evidence | In-depth and insightful analysis of evidence |
| Citations and Sources | Missing or incorrect citations | Some citations, but not consistently formatted | Correctly formatted citations | Correctly formatted citations with a variety of reliable sources |
| Writing Conventions and Craft | Poor grammar, spelling, and punctuation | Some errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation | Mostly correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation | Excellent grammar, spelling, and punctuation |