PART A: Develops an essay that presents a focused response to the writing assignment, making appropriate and coherent connections among all parts of the assignment. |
PART B: Demonstrates understanding of the reading through summary and explanation of relevant material. |
PART C: Incorporates, as support for own thoughts, references to the readings, identifying the sources formally or informally. |
PART D: Communicates clearly and effectively using appropriate conventions of language (e.g. grammar, spelling, punctuation). |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 POINTS AWARDED: Addresses the writing assignment fully, analytically, and perhaps critically or imaginatively, with superior focus and coherence. | 6 POINTS AWARDED: Demonstrates superior and perhaps critical understanding of readings through accurate summary, full explanation, and insightful analysis of relevant sections. | 6 POINTS AWARDED: Makes insightful connections and distinctions between readings and own ideas; integrates references smoothly into own essay and identifies them consistently and correctly. | 6 POINTS AWARDED: Communicates with precision and enhanced expression through highly effective use of vocabulary and sentence variety; infrequent, if any, lapses in use of conventions. |
| 5 POINTS AWARDED: Addresses the writing assignment fully and analytically, with strong focus and coherence. | 5 POINTS AWARDED: Demonstrates strong understanding of readings through accurate summary, with appropriate explanation and analysis of relevant sections. | 5 POINTS AWARDED: Makes analytical connections and perhaps distinctions between readings and own ideas; integrates references into own essay and identifies them consistently and correctly. | 5 POINTS AWARDED: Communicates effectively throughout the essay, with few lapses in use of conventions. |
| 4 POINTS AWARDED: Addresses all parts of the writing assignment with adequate focus and coherence throughout. | 4 POINTS AWARDED: Demonstrates overall understanding of readings through appropriate summary and explanation, with some analysis. | 4 POINTS AWARDED: Makes and explains appropriate connections between readings and own ideas; identifies references consistently and correctly. | 4 POINTS AWARDED: Communicates clearly throughout the essay; sentences may contain some lapses in use of conventions, but these rarely impede comprehension. |
| 3 POINTS AWARDED: Addresses all or most parts of the writing assignment adequately, but focus may lapse briefly or connections may be missing. | 3 POINTS AWARDED: Demonstrates generally accurate understanding of readings although summary or explanation may be incomplete or not fully relevant. | 3 POINTS AWARDED: Makes some connections between readings and own ideas but they may not all be appropriate or adequately explained; identifies most references consistently and correctly. | 3 POINTS AWARDED: Generally communicates clearly throughout the essay although lapses in use of conventions may at times impede comprehension or prove distracting. |
| 2 POINTS AWARDED: Addresses some parts of the writing assignment or addresses all parts superficially; focus or coherence may break down at several points. | 2 POINTS AWARDED: Demonstrates partial understanding of the readings through summary or explanation, but understanding is flawed or explanation is incomplete. |
2 POINTS AWARDED: Makes few or unwarranted connections between readings and own ideas; may identify references inconsistently or incorrectly. |
2 POINTS AWARDED: Communicates clearly at times, showing some ability to use conventions, but whole sections are unclear or errors frequently impede comprehension. |
| 1 POINT AWARDED: Shows little or no ability to address the writing assignment; may not link thoughts between paragraphs. | 1 POINT AWARDED: Demonstrates little or no understanding of text. |
1 POINT AWARDED: Makes no reference to background reading or makes no distinctions between background reading and own ideas. |
1 POINT AWARDED: Communicates little because few sentences demonstrate appropriate use of conventions. |