General Essay Scoring Rubric—Broken down by major elements
SCORE	Introduction	Body Paragraphs	Conclusion
4 Awesome!	□ Topic is clearly stated and fully addresses the prompt. □ Background information is given to set-up the essay. □ Appropriate diction is used for a formal essay. □ Thesis statement clearly outlines argument. □ Spelling/grammar is clean throughout. □ No slang/ contractions are present.	□ Topic sentences are present and clearly state each paragraph’s purpose. □ Concrete details are used, i.e., quotes, examples, personal experiences, etc. □ Commentary is insightful and explains the example addressed. Analysis is present. □ Grammar/spelling is clean. No slang/ contractions. □ Body paragraphs and examples are relevant to the prompt.	□ Topic sentence is present and offers a clear, reworded thesis. □ Reasons are briefly summarized, but are not repetitious. □ Leaves the reader with something to think about or makes an impacting final comment on the topic. □ Does not repeat the same information as the introduction. □ Grammar/spelling is clean. No slang/contractions.
3 Good Job!	□ Topic is clearly stated. □ Background information for the essay set-up is adequate. □ Appropriate diction is used. □ Thesis is clear, but perhaps somewhat general. □ Errors in grammar/spelling. Minimal slang/ contractions. □ Addresses the prompt.	□ Topic sentences clearly offer each paragraph’s purpose. □ Concrete details are used, i.e., quotes, examples, personal experiences, etc, □ Commentary explains the example addressed. May not be very insightful. □ Errors in grammar/spelling. Minimal slang/ contractions. □ The prompt is addressed.	□ Topic sentence is present and offers a reworded thesis. □ Reasons are briefly summarized, but may be repetitious. □ Attempts to leave the reader with something to think about. □ May sound similar to the introduction. Redundant. □ Errors in grammar/spelling. Minimal slang/ contractions.
2 O.K., I guess…	□ Thesis is vague/unclear or fail to fully address the prompt. □ Background information is unclear or inadequate. □ Diction may be inappropriate. Slang/ contractions are present. □ Errors in grammar/spelling.	□ Topic sentences are unclear or vague. □ Some concrete details are missing or are irrelevant. □ Commentary is general or unclear. No real insight. □ Errors in grammar/spelling may inhibit understanding.	□ Topic sentence is unclear or vague. □ Thesis is not reworded, but is restated OR is unclear. □ No real attempt to leave the reader with something to think about. No final insight is offered. □ Errors in grammar/spelling may inhibit understanding.
1 What happened?	□ Topic sentence is unclear or non-existent. □ Background info is unclear or non-existent. □ Diction is inappropriate. □ Thesis is unclear or non-existent. □ Errors in grammar/spelling inhibit understanding.	□ Topic sentences are unclear or non-existent. □ Concrete details are irrelevant or not there. □ Commentary is irrelevant or unclear. □ Errors in grammar/spelling may inhibit understanding.	□ Topic sentence is unclear or non-existent. □ Thesis is not restated or reworded. □ No attempt to leave the reader with final insight. Irrelevant comments. □ Errors in grammar/spelling inhibit understanding.
0 Where is it?	□ No essay submitted.