Essay Rubric

The essay rubric below is one that I created for my AP English Language and Composition class (junior year), but I have decided to use this same rubric for all my English classes in order to increase rigor, raise standards, and provide consistency across grade levels. Within the first week of school, I give students a copy of this rubric and explain it thoroughly. I do not simply assign a number grade; comments are made throughout the paper. However, if a student grades 6 or above, it is likely that there will be very few comments (I refer them to the rubric, of course). Students also use this rubric in peer editing sessions. For teachers who would like to use this rubric, you should know that when I enter the grades, I do so as follows:

9 = 100

7, 8 = 95

6 = 90

5 = 85

4 = 75

3 = 60

2 = 45

1 = 25

0 = 0

- = 0

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The rubric below is one that I created by synthesizing sources elsewhere (handouts from workshops, Internet sites, and my own observations/experience as an AP Reader). Unfortunately, I do not have all the necessary attribution, as the rubric is such an amalgamation and I have been adding to it and subtracting from it over several years.  I want to thank all those anonymous sources for their input. In the spirit of collegiality among educators I would like to share this collaborative rubric with all.  I hope that you find it useful.  This rubric is not a product of The College Board, although it contains language from College Board rubrics, as well as the valuable input I receive yearly from fellow AP Readers.  For anyone teaching AP classes, I highly recommend becoming an AP Reader.  It is the most worthwhile professional development I have experienced.

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 AP Essay Rubric                                                                                      Mulhern

For each of the Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Essays (theSynthesis, the Analysis, the Argumentative/Persuasive), consider the following to determine the AP Rubric Grade.

Upper-Half Scores

Rubric Grades 7, 8, 9:  “Effective.”  The 7, 8, 9 essay has fluent prose; sophisticated writing; high-level, appropriate, and well-utilized diction; impressive examples; especially impressive number of examples (comprehensive essay); creative or original examples, voice, or point of view; mature, experienced writing style; excellent critical thinking obvious on the page; fine elaboration/explanation of how examples support the thesis/assertion/main idea of the essay.  Descriptors that come to mind for a 7-8-9 essay include mastery, sophisticated, complex, original, creative, very well supported.  The more impressive the essay is in these regards, the higher the rubric grade.

Rubric Grades 5, 6:  “Adequate.”  The 5, 6 essay has a clearly stated thesis; answers the prompt exactly; provides a sufficient number of examples (I recommend citing at least 4 examples); elaborates on those examples, explaining how they support the thesis/assertion/main point of the essay.  The essay is well organized and cohesive.  The writing style may be less mature or sophisticated, but the writing is “solid.”  There may be minor problems with syntax, diction, grammar or mechanics.  The 5 essay is a “thinner” version of the 6; sometimes referred to as a “fuzzy” 6.  One of the examples may be weaker, or one of the elaborations may be less than sufficiently developed.  For the most part, however, a 5 essay is still well organized.   Descriptors that come to mind with a 6 essay might include less mature writing style or critical thinking, some difficulties, but adequate.  Descriptors that come to mind with a 5 essay might include almost adequate, slightly off point, slightly insufficient.

Factors that Contribute to Lower-Half Scores:  Weak, unclear thesis; simplistic or incomplete analysis, explanations, reasoning, or argumentation; insufficient elaboration on your examples; examples are too general (“specificity is key!”); superficial discussion or a discussion that lacks depth and intelligent commentary/critical thinking; too much “straight summary” or simply listing examples without explaining your reasoning or how the examples support your thesis/assertion/main idea/argument; stating the obvious; ideas that lack originality or are uninspired; essay simply is too short and needs more examples and elaboration; lack of development of ideas; lack of organized structure; digression or “getting off track”; does not completely, accurately, adequately or exactly answer the prompt; writing style is less sophisticated/immature; too many “clutter” words or redundancy (repeating ideas unnecessarily); too many errors in mechanics/grammar/spelling. 

Rubric Grades 4-3: “Inadequate.”  The 4 or 3 essay maintains or “gets” the general idea of the writing assignment, shows some sense of organization, but is weak in content, examples, elaboration; lacks maturity/complexity of thought; the facility with language and/or style is weaker; there are problems with mechanics/grammar.  The essay may distort the topic or fail to deal adequately with one important aspect of the topic.  The 3 essay is simply a weaker 4.  Some descriptors that come to mind for both of these essays include incomplete, immature, oversimplified, meager, irrelevant, and insufficient.

Rubric Grade 2: “Little Success.”  A 2 essay attempts to deal with the topic but demonstrates serious weaknesses in content or coherence and/or syntax and mechanics. It is an unacceptable grade.  There may be some evidence (but very little) of analysis or argumentation. Descriptors include serious misreading, unacceptably brief, and/or poorly written. 

Rubric Grade 1:  A 1 essay is the score given to any on-topic response that has very little redeeming quality.  It may be very brief or very long, but will be scarcely coherent, usually full of mechanical errors or completely missing the focus of the prompt.  Descriptors includeincoherent, vacuous, inexact, and mechanically unsound.

Rubric Grade 0: A 0 essay is a response with no more than a reference to the task (perhaps just copying the prompt).

Rubric Grade - : Indicates a blank response.

Required of All Essays:  Strong thesis using key words from prompt; excellent appropriate, specific examples (I recommend at least 4) with elaboration/explanation of your reasoning (a few sentences for each specific example); anchoring your essay by quoting key words and phrases from the prompt and/or excerpt; using key words from the prompt (or synonyms for those words) throughout your paper; answering the question/prompt exactly, and not digressing (digression means adding information that is not called for)!