10 – 9 Excellent and well executed,
complex thesis.
8 – Good thesis, but it could have been
more developed.
7 – Fair thesis / the explicit thesis is not in
sync with the implicit thesis / elements of
the thesis are not fully proven.
6 – Neither the explicit and implicit
thesis are clear or proven / the thesis is
not analytically based.
5 or lower – There is no thesis.
Evidence
Utilized
5 – 4.5 Excellent choice of evidence
utilized.
4 – Good use of evidence, but there are
moments where stronger evidence
could’ve been used / there was a need
for additional backing.
3.5 – There is either an overuse or
underuse of evidence / some of the
evidence isn’t appropriate for the analysis.
3 – There is little use of evidence / there
is an excessive use of evidence / the
evidence is not related to the claim
being explored.
2 – No evidence is used.
Analysis of
Evidence/
Reasoning &
Explanation20 – 18 Excellent discussion of literary
elements/strategies and use of
evidence. You repeatedly show the
connection between elements and the
original author’s thesis.
16 – Good discussion of literary
elements/strategies and use of
evidence; however, some of your
interpretations and explanations need
to be more fully developed or need to
be expanded.
14 – The discussion of literary elements
and the original thesis is fair, but it could
have been more fully developed / there is
too much reliance on summary / there is
misinterpretation of the evidence / the
interpretation of the evidence needed to
be clearer.
12 – There is little exposition exploring
the evidence in connection to the
thesis/topic of the body paragraphs /
most of the evidence is misinterpreted /
the interpretation of the evidence is not
clear.
10 – There is no exposition or analysis
of the evidence and/or thesis.
Essay Structure
10 – 9 Excellent balance between
introduction, summary, body,
paragraphs and conclusion.
8 – All components of a strong essay
are included; however, there is an
imbalance between 1 – 2 sections.
7 – All components of a strong essay are
included; however, there is an imbalance
between 3 – 4 sections.
6 – 1 – 2 components of the essay are
missing.
5 – More than half of the required
components of the essay are missing.
Paragraph
Transitioning
5 – 4.5 Excellent transitioning between
all essay paragraphs.
4 – Good transitioning between
paragraphs / some transitions could’ve
been smoother.
3.5 – Fair transitioning between paragraphs-
-in several areas, the transition is
rough/jarring.
3 – There is little transitioning
demonstrated between paragraphs.
1 – There is no transitioning between
paragraphs.
Internal
Paragraph
Flow
10 – 9 Excellent internal paragraph
flow / strong use of transitional
phrasing / superior logic flow.
8 – Good paragraph flow overall;
however, 1 – 2 paragraphs have some
awkward phrasing and/or logic.
7 – Fair paragraph flow overall; however, 2-
3 paragraphs have some awkward
phrasing and/or logic.
6 – In more than half of the paragraphs
there is little clarity/connectivity
shown.
5 – The paragraphs maintain little to no
clarity and/or connectivity.
Style (10%)
Voice/Originality
10 – 9 Excellent tone and voice /
original style / superior word choice.
8 – Good overall tone, though some
phrases and words are repeated and
weigh down the voice / there are some
areas where an informal tone is used /
there are several paragraphs where the
voice is flat.
7 – Fair overall tone, though several
phrases and words are repeated and weigh
down the voice / there are several
instances of informal tone / the voice is
flat / there are moments of bias and/or
offensiveness.
6 – There are excessive repetitive
phrases and/or words / there is an
informal tone used throughout / there
are strong moments of bias and/or
offensive language / the
grammar/syntax level compromises the
tone.
5 – The tone is extremely: repetitive,
informal, inappropriate, biased, flat,
and/or offensive.
Mechanics
(20%)
MLA
Conventions/Gr
ammar/ Syntax
20 – 18 Near perfect grammar,
sentence structure and use of MLA
guide.
16 – There are minor errors in one or
two of the areas listed below, typically
5-10.
14- There are several consistent errors in
two or more of the areas listed below
(typically between 8 – 15; however, it
depends on what kind of errors).
12 – There are excessive errors in two
or more of the areas listed below
(typically between 15 – 20; however, it
depends on what kind of errors).
10 – There are excessive errors in most
sentences that compromise clarity.
Areas to
improve:
MLA Conventions: heading, paper
format, internal citation (commas,
quotations, parenthesis), block quoting.
Revision
(10%)
Revision
10 – 9 Excellent revision demonstrated.
Thoughtful changes have been made /
most minor errors have been corrected.
8 – Good revision efforts; however,
more thoroughness was needed.
7 – While a rough draft is attached, there
are no serious revision efforts apparent /
only minor changes have been made.
6 – While a rough draft is attached,
there are little to no revision efforts
apparent.
5 – there is no material to assess