| Ideas |
Significant thesis, reflecting thought
and insight;
Concrete support that integrates
examples, facts, and statistics with detailed explanation |
Strong thesis, demonstrating insight
and independent thought;
Thorough development of major ideas |
Clearly-stated thesis, forecasting
essay’s organization;
Concrete support for each major
point |
Vague or unclear thesis;
Illogical or incomplete development
of ideas |
Missing, invalid, or inappropriate
thesis;
Insufficient, vague, or illogical
support |
| Arrangement |
Thoughtful,
logical progression of supporting ideas in carefully constructed paragraphs;
Mature transitions |
Logical arrangement
of supporting points in coherent paragraphs;
Effective transitions |
Acceptable
arrangement of ideas;
Satisfactory paragraph construction;
Adequate transitions |
Confusing
arrangement of ideas;
Unclear or immature paragraph construction;
Weak transitions |
No discernible
pattern of organization;
Unfocused paragraphs;
Coherence problems |
| Style |
Appropriate
tone, distinctive voice;
Sentences varied for rhetorical
effect;
Vivid diction, precise word choices |
Appropriate
tone;
Clear sentences, varied in length
and structure;
Forceful, jargon-free diction |
Appropriate
tone;
Clear sentences;
Effective diction |
Inappropriate tone;
Little variety or emphasis in sentence
structures;
Vague diction, imprecise word choices |
Inconsistent tone;
Awkward, unclear, or immature sentences;
Bland diction, faulty word choice |
| Mechanics |
Consistent
standard English usage, spelling, and punctuation |
Few, if any,
errors in usage, spelling, and punctuation |
No major errors
in usage, spelling, or punctuation |
Distracting
errors in usage, spelling, or punctuation |
Many or major
errors in usage, spelling, or punctuation |
