(adapted from the College Board Rubric)
An A (would score 22-24 points on the SAT) essay consistently meets all the criteria below.
A B/C (would score 18-21 points on the SAT) essay mostly meets all the criteria below.
Criteria for Scoring—The Essay:
Reading
Reading
- Demonstrates thorough comprehension of the source text
- Reveals an understanding of the text's central idea and details
- Is free of errors of fact or interpretation
- Makes skillful use of textual evidence (quotations, paraphrases, or both)
Analysis
- Offers an insightful analysis of the source text, demonstrating a sophisticated understanding of analysis
- Offers a thorough evaluation of the author's use of evidence, reasoning, style, and persuasive elements
- Contains relevant, sufficient, and strategically chosen support for claim(s) or point(s) made
- Focuses consistently on features of the text that are most relevant
Writing
- Is cohesive and demonstrates highly effective language use
- Includes a precise central claim
- Includes a skill introduction and conclusion
- Demonstrates highly effective progression of ideas
- Includes a wide variety of sentence structures
- Includes precise word choice
- Maintains a formal and objective tone
- Shows a strong command of the conventions of standard written English and is virtually free of errors
