9th and 10th Grade Persuasive Essay Rubric

Advanced Proficient Basic Below Basic

Content: My essay has a My essay has an My thesis is too My thesis is unclear
Ideas compelling thesis that effective thesis narrow, too broad, or and my position is too
skillfully appeals to the (position) that makes not immediately clear broad and generally
audience. My essay a clear and to the reader weak.
goes well beyond the knowledgeable
obvious. judgment.
My essay presents I have effectively The supporting My essay has
powerful arguments to supported my thesis arguments and unsupported
support thesis. I’ve with relevant evidence I’ve used is generalizations or I’ve
used well-documented arguments and insufficient or used little to no
evidence to provide a evidence. irrelevant. My essay supportive or credible
consistent and lacks explanation and evidence.
convincing perspective elaboration.
on the issue
My essay effectively My essay My essay addresses My essay fails to
addresses opposing acknowledges an an opposing viewpoint address any opposing
viewpoints and opposing viewpoint but does NOT provide viewpoints or to
provides strong and provides a a reasonable counter- provide counter-
counter-arguments. reasonable counter - argument. arguments.
I’ve built a convincing argument.
and well-focused
argument.
Organization My essay has a strong I have used an My essay has a weak My essay has little to
and engaging appropriate structure. structure. It lacks no structure. My
introduction. I have I have and engaging consistency of ideas. essay lacks a logical
skillfully sequenced my introduction. I have Evidence may be progression of ideas.
ideas and supportive presented ideas in a isolated facts with
evidence. My logical progression. weak sequencing.
conclusion is powerful, My conclusion
reinforcing thesis and reinforces my thesis
giving closure. and gives closure.
Voice: My voice is authentic, My voice is confident My essay has straight In my writing there is
Purpose, confident, convincing and authentic. I am facts with a voice no clear or no sense of
Audience, and and imbedded within clearly engaged with detached from topic. I voice, purpose, or
Tone the textual my topic. My writing have a sense of audience.
information. There is a has a clear sense of purpose and/or
clear sense of audience audience and audience.
and purpose. purpose.
Word Choice: I chose precise words I chose effective I have used vague and I have used a very
Diction to powerfully convey words and phrases to ordinary words, so my limited vocabulary or
my intended message. convey my message. message isn’t as used words
powerful as it could incorrectly.
be.
Sentence I have used purposeful My essay has strong I have attempted to I write in complete
Fluency and innovative sentence structure vary my sentence sentences but do not
sentence structure to and variety, and I have structure, but many of vary the sentence
enhance my intended effectively used my sentences sound patterns. I have some
effect. I have skillfully transitions to connect the same. I have awkward or faulty
managed the ideas. limited use of sentences. I don’t use
transitioning between transitions to connect transitions to connect
ideas and paragraphs. my ideas. ideas within my essay.
Technical My essay shows I have a few minor My conventional I have a lot of
Qualities and creativity and flexibility conventional errors errors occasionally conventional errors
Mechanics when using that do not obscure obscure my meaning. that seriously
conventions to my meaning. interfere with the
enhance my meaning. overall effectiveness
of my essay.