Mr.

Bennett
Six Traits of Writing Rubric

Outstanding
Writing, No
Real Issues

Strong
Writing,
Minor Issues

Above
Average
Writing

Meets All
Guidelines

Meets Some
Guidelines

93%

83%

73%

66%

Main idea
may be hard
to
understand.
Research is
present, but
is minimal
and/ or from
a
questionable
source
Organization
is one thing
listed after
another. No
real
development
Almost no
intro/
conclusion

Purpose and
main idea
may be
unclear.
Supporting
details are
not backed
up with
research.
Often gets
off topic
Can
understand
the main
point, but
unorganized
and hard to
follow
Very weak
intro/
conclusion

Lac
cent
obvi
of
prew
Littl
rese

100%
Ideas &
Content
How good is
the main idea,
and how well
are the
supporting
details
researched?

Organizatio
n
How well
written is the
introduction
and
conclusion? Is
the rest of the
paper clear
enough for
someone
unfamiliar to
the topic?

Voice
A strong voice
means the
reader can
connect with
you through
the writing.
They feel
emotion while
reading.

Word
Choice
Good word
choice keeps a
reader
interested and
involved
throughout
the writing

Student Name:_______________

Doe
Mee
Guid

Exceptionally
clear, focused,
interesting
ideas with
relevant,
strong
supporting
detail

Clear,
focused,
interesting
ideas with
enough
detail

Obvious
main idea
with some
support,
which may
be missing
important
details. Has
appropriate
research

Organized
well, in a way
that makes
sense and is
creative
Creative and
interesting
introduction
and conclusion

Organized in
a way that
makes sense
Well done
intro and
equally good
ending

Organization
is in the
right format,
but has a lot
of room to
improve
There was
an effort to
make a good
intro and
conclusion

Strong
understanding
of the
audience
Reader can
describe the
writer and
feels a strong
connection
with them

Appropriate
to audience
and purpose
Reader can
describe the
writer, and
begins to
feel a
connection
with them

Voice is
appropriate
most of the
time
Reader can
begin to
describe the
author by
their writing

Voice is
present, but
very weak or
inappropriat
e
Some signs
of
personality,
still
somewhat
absent from
the paper

Writing is
enough to fill
sentences,
no
personality
Little or no
image of
writer
behind
words

Writ
lifele
No i
the w

Uses the right

words for the
topic, that best
bring the
audience in
Descriptions
give the reader
a sense of

Correctly
uses words,
with enough
variety to
avoid
becoming
boring
Descriptions

Words are
used
correctly and
help the
reader
understand
the writer
Descriptions

Words may
be correct,
but boring
Does not try
to find
alternatives
for repeated
words

Boring word
choice, may
also repeat
the same
words often

Lim
rang
word
Som
are m

This
even
sens
Orga
mak
impo
unde
No i
/con

Mr. Bennett
Six Traits of Writing Rubric
being a part of
the writing

Sentence
Fluency
Variety of
sentence
structures and
transitions
between
sentences

Conventions
How good is
spelling,
capitalization,
punctuation,
grammar?

work
properly

Student Name:_______________
are too short
consistently

Very creative
and purposeful
sentence
construction
Strong variety
of sentence
patterns,
transitions
help the paper
read
seamlessly

Sentences
are
consistently
varied and
creative
Good variety
in length of
sentences,
transitions
are well
done

Sentences
are varied
and creative
(at times)
More variety
in the length
of sentences,
transitions
used as
needed

Sentences
constructed
incorrectly
(at times)
Many similar
sentences,
transition
poorly at
times

Very choppy,
sentences
may run on
Sentences
are identical
in structure

Diff
follo
read
Unli
conf
ramb

Exceptionally
strong control
of standard
writing
conventions

Strong
control of
conventions;
errors are
few and
minor

Consistently
in control,
however
errors have
the potential
to hurt the
readers
understandin
g

Small
amount of
control over
conventions,
several
errors. The
writing still
makes sense

Many large
errors may
hurt, but
dont stop,
the reader
understandin
g the writer

Man
distr
read
mak
text
impo
read