Essay Rubric for English 12/ Dual Enrollment English

_______        An "A" paper is one that meets assignment requirements and does so in an outstanding way.  The writing is interesting and engaging because of its informative or creative approach.  The essay demonstrates consistent critical and creative thinking.   The writer’s purpose is clear (explicit or implied). Ideas are unified, coherent, clear, and developed tightly, thoroughly and thoughtfully.   Supporting details are relevant and well chosen.  Artful transitions are used and a progression of thought has been consciously planned for and achieved.  The writing may "come alive" as a result of vivid or creative written expression.   There is a definite voice behind the writing in this paper.   The writer expresses a definite point of view that is strongly supported. Mechanical skills are controlled by the writer and create a fluent, clear expression of thought.  "Wow! "

 ________     A "B" paper is one that meets assignment requirements and is well written and has an impact on the reader.  Critical and creative thinking are in evidence. The writer’s purpose is not consistently clear but may be implied.  Ideas are unified and well developed, but some may lack specificity and vividness in development.   Some supporting details may be irrelevant or over-emphasized.  Common transitions are used mostly throughout the paper creating a progression of thought which may not always be consistently clear. Written expression and voice may lack the power and creativity of an “A” paper.  Mechanical errors are few and minor so as not to hinder fluent reading and expression.  "Good job!"

 ________     A "C"  paper is one that demonstrates most assignment requirements but with inconsistent quality.   Thinking tends to be ordinary rather than critical or creative.  The reader is left to assume the writer’s purpose.  Ideas may be developed only in a general way; the writing may not be well organized or fluent; and there may be some disjointedness of thoughts or sentences.  Supporting details may be lacking or nonrelevant to main points. Transitions are used unevenly throughout the paper; progression of thought is hard to follow and is not well planned.  Written expression may be reasonably accurate, but unimaginative.  The voice may be detached, and little sense of "writer" is apparent.   Mechanical errors may hinder fluency and clarity.   "An adequate effort."

________     A "D" paper is one representative of substandard writing because it fails to fulfill assignment requirements or evaluation criteria, or fails to do so with enough consistency for the writing to be readable, understandable, or valuable.  The essay tends to ramble without direction or the writer’s purpose is lost.  The overall organization may be faulty.    There is little or no thinking beyond the obvious and general.  Ideas are weak, poorly developed and not well organized.  There may be an imbalance of main idea/supporting detail development.  The paper lacks transitions and a clear progression of thought among main and supporting ideas. Written expression may be awkward or contrived.  Voice may be lacking.  Mechanical errors may be so frequent or severe that fluency, clarity, and enjoyment are impaired. "What happened?"