| Scoring Scale | 4 | 3.5 | 3 | 2.5 | 2 | 1.5 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall focus | The claim is clear, focused, and strongly supports the selected adjective. | The claim is mostly clear and focused, but could be more strongly connected to the selected adjective. | The claim is somewhat clear, but lacks focus and connection to the selected adjective. | The claim is unclear and does not support the selected adjective. | The claim is missing or completely unrelated to the selected adjective. | The claim is missing or not present. | The claim is missing or not present. |
| Lead | The introduction grabs the reader’s attention and clearly introduces the topic and claim. | The introduction somewhat engages the reader and introduces the topic and claim. | The introduction attempts to introduce the topic and claim, but is not engaging. | The introduction is weak and does not effectively introduce the topic and claim. | The introduction is missing or not present. | The introduction is missing or not present. | The introduction is missing or not present. |
| Transitions | Smooth transitions are used effectively to connect ideas and paragraphs. | Transitions are mostly smooth, but could be improved to better connect ideas and paragraphs. | Transitions are somewhat choppy and do not effectively connect ideas and paragraphs. | Transitions are missing or do not connect ideas and paragraphs. | Transitions are missing or not present. | Transitions are missing or not present. | Transitions are missing or not present. |
| Ending | The conclusion effectively summarizes the argument and leaves a strong impression on the reader. | The conclusion somewhat summarizes the argument, but could be more impactful. | The conclusion is weak and does not effectively summarize the argument. | The conclusion is missing or not present. | The conclusion is missing or not present. | The conclusion is missing or not present. | The conclusion is missing or not present. |
| Organization | The essay is well-organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. | The essay is mostly organized, but could be more structured in its presentation. | The essay is somewhat organized, but lacks clear structure. | The essay is disorganized and lacks structure. | The essay is missing or not present. | The essay is missing or not present. | The essay is missing or not present. |
| Elaboration | Arguments are supported with detailed evidence and examples that effectively prove the claim. | Arguments are mostly supported with evidence and examples, but could be more detailed. | Arguments are somewhat supported with evidence and examples, but lack detail. | Arguments are unsupported or lack evidence and examples. | Arguments are missing or not present. | Arguments are missing or not present. | Arguments are missing or not present. |
| Craft | The essay demonstrates a high level of craftsmanship in writing, including strong word choice and sentence structure. | The essay shows some craftsmanship in writing, but could be more polished in word choice and sentence structure. | The essay lacks craftsmanship in writing and shows inconsistencies in word choice and sentence structure. | The essay is poorly crafted with weak word choice and sentence structure. | The essay is missing or not present. | The essay is missing or not present. | The essay is missing or not present. |
| Spelling | The essay contains no spelling errors. | The essay contains few spelling errors that do not significantly impact readability. | The essay contains some spelling errors that may impact readability. | The essay contains many spelling errors that impact readability. | The essay is missing or not present. | The essay is missing or not present. | The essay is missing or not present. |
| Punctuation | The essay demonstrates correct and varied use of punctuation throughout. | The essay mostly demonstrates correct use of punctuation, but could be more varied. | The essay shows some correct use of punctuation, but lacks consistency. | The essay has frequent errors in punctuation that impact readability. | The essay is missing or not present. | The essay is missing or not present. | The essay is missing or not present. |
| Grammar usage | The essay demonstrates correct and varied use of grammar throughout. | The essay mostly demonstrates correct use of grammar, but could be more varied. | The essay shows some correct use of grammar, but lacks consistency. | The essay has frequent errors in grammar that impact readability. | The essay is missing or not present. | The essay is missing or not present. | The essay is missing or not present. |