Writing Rubric Criteria

Organization

• Had definite introduction, body and conclusion: student writes a separate introduction and conclusion, and there is appropriate paragraphing in the body
• Used transitional expressions: student uses transitions such as “likewise,” “furthermore,” “another example is,” so that ideas flow smoothly throughout the paper

Development

• Had sufficient information to support ideas: student provides enough explanation, examples, quotes so that each idea is thoroughly explained and easy to understand
• Presented ideas logically: student provides sound explanations
• Followed through with main idea: student sustains the purpose of the paper throughout the writing (i.e. If the student said she was going to persuade in the thesis, she develops her paper in that mode; if he said he was presenting information in order to prove a point, he completes that purpose)

Clarity

• Had clear sense of purpose: student states a clear thesis and stays with that main idea throughout the paper
• Chose wording appropriate to audience: student avoids language that is too colloquial or too technical; can be understood by any educated reader
• Had sentences that made sense: student consistently avoids unclear, awkward or non-English structure sentences; student corrects typos and proofreads to check for omitted words so that sentences make sense on first reading

Concepts

• Displayed clear understanding of assignment and/or course concepts: student is able to follow directions in approaching, applying and communicating the topic she has stated she will explain; student can write clearly about abstract concepts making them simple to understand

Mechanics

• Used proper grammar: students avoids saying “he done,” “have went,” “they seen,” and other non-grammatical phrases
• Punctuated correctly: student understands how to use all forms of punctuation, including colons, semi-colons, parenthesis, quotations
• Had no spelling/typographical errors: student proofreads and corrects errors in spelling
• Used proper documentation of sources: student shows knowledge of correct MLA or APA documentation and can write a correct Works Cited page