Grade 10th Grade Essay Rubric

Body Paragraphs - Focus/Organization and Development

• Details from Texts: Checks for quotes and paraphrasing.
• Relevance: Checks if details are on-topic.
• Sufficiency: Checks if there are enough details.
• Explanation: Checks if details are clearly explained.

Conclusion - Focus/Organization

• Concluding Statement: Checks if it restates the thesis.
• Compelling Statement: Checks for a strong ending.

Overall - Focus/Organization

• Structure: Checks for a clear beginning, middle, and end (4+ paragraphs).
• Transitions: Checks for specific transition usage (e.g., "To begin", "In conclusion", "Likewise", "Similarly", "On the other hand", "In contrast", "In addition", "Additionally", "Moreover", "Furthermore", "Another example is", "In other words", "To illustrate", "This proves/illustrates/shows", "According to [source]").

Writing Style - Language

• Formal Tone: Must be formal. NO phrases like "In my opinion", "I think", "What do you think?", "This paper is about".
• Academic Vocabulary: Must use grade-level vocabulary.
• Sentence Variety: Must vary sentence structures.

Proofreading - Conventions

• Usage Errors: Checks for little to no usage errors.
• Understandability: Checks if the message is clear despite mistakes.