Accomplished Writer

Proficient Writer

Satisfactory Writer

Developing Writer

Basic Writer

Ideas and insights on a limited topic

Offers a fresh take, full of compelling ideas or insights, on a topic that is limited to what is manageable in a five paragraph essay

Offers logically consistent and sometimes fresh and intriguing ideas or insights on a sufficiently limited topic manageable in a five paragraph essay

Offers ideas on a topic but the ideas and insights are not particularly fresh or intriguing; the topic may not be sufficiently narrowed for a five paragraph essay

Offers few ideas or insights on a topic; the topic is probably ill-defined and inappropriately large for a five paragraph essay

May or may not have a discernible topic; if it does, the topic is probably impossibly large for a five paragraph essay

Organization

  Is organized so that the connection between each paragraph and the thesis is made transparent, and so that the essay progresses logically and with a sense of inevitability toward its conclusion, which seems fully justified and accounted for by what has come before.

Is organized so that each paragraph relates clearly to the thesis and so that the essay moves logically toward a conclusion, which follows from what went before.

Is not always coherently organized; it may not be clear how each paragraph relates to the thesis; the essay moves, perhaps in rambling fashion, toward a conclusion, which may not fully follow from what has gone before.

Is incoherently organized; may ramble or contain distracting digressions; may or may not have a conclusion.  Does not have a clear thesis statement.

Is lacking in any clear pattern of organization.

Development

Is developed with strong and continuous attention to specific detail and in a manner that examines a topic fully and convincingly.

Is developed with continuous attention to specific detail and in a manner that sufficiently covers a topic.

Is insufficiently developed; detail is often non-specific; does not do justice to the topic.

Is notably under-developed; most details are non-specific

Is extremely under-developed; all or most details are non-specific.

Grammar, punctuation, and spelling

Is largely free of errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

May contain a few errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Contains a number of errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Contains numerous serious errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Contains numerous and frequent errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.