Easier to use writing rubric for students!

Tired of the old 5 point rubrics you have used to score students' writing? Check out this updated rubric, revised by my Department Chair. MUCH more kid-friendly!

Scoring Guide for Writing


Score of 5 (So good that you could sell it to a newspaper or magazine right now!)This paper is excellent, although it may have a just a few small errors. It:

• states a claim, shows excellent thought and uses well-chosen details.

• is well organized, focused, and makes good sense.

• uses language and vocabulary for a good purpose.

• includes a variety of different kinds of sentences. (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex)

• is generally free of errors in grammar, usage or punctuation.

Score of 4 (Need to fix the small mistakes before you can sell it!) This paper is very good with some small mistakes. It:

• states a claim, shows good thinking, and uses appropriate supporting detail.

• is generally organized, focused, and makes good sense.

• generally uses language and vocabulary for a good purpose.

• demonstrates some variety in sentence structure.

• may have some errors in grammar, usage, or punctuation.


Score of 3 (Work on this a little more!)

This paper is good, but it has one or more problems. It

• states a claim but needs better thinking and more supporting detail.

• sometimes lacks organization, focus, and, at times, might not make good sense.

• generally uses language the correct way , but some words are not chosen well and don’t make sense

• has little variety in sentence structure or has some sentence errors.

• may contain errors in grammar, usage, or punctuation.


Score of 2 (Needs more work. Keep going!)

This paper is not very ‘strong’ and has many errors. It

• has a weak claim, weak thinking, and not enough good detail.

• is poorly organized, lacking focus and sometimes doesn’t make sense.

• uses limited language and vocabulary or incorrect word choice.

• has sentences that are very simple. There is no variety in the sentences

• contains a lot of errors in grammar, usage, or punctuation that takes away from meaning.


Score of 1 (Really needs much improvement! Don’t give up!)

This paper is very weak and has many problems

• has no claim and has little, if any, supporting detail.

• is disorganized or makes no sense.

• has many errors in vocabulary and use of language.

• has serious problems in sentence structure.

• contains many errors in grammar, usage, or punctuation; enough that the reader can’t understand what you’ve written.


Score or 0 (What happened?) You never bothered to write your paper. Or, your paper makes no sense at all.