Argumentative Essay Rubric  

  
           
           
   
Name: _________________ Teacher:

Date: Class:

Description: This rubric was developed by 7th grade Utah educators in Washington County School District.

2 - 1 -
5 - 4 -
3 - BASIC S TA N D A R D S TA N D A R D
M A S T E RY PROFICIENT
NOT MET NOT MET

Introduces a Introduces a claim Claim is not Hard to find No claim

well thought later in the essay as clear as it the claim
Claim out claim at should be
the beginning
of the essay

Acknowledges Opposing claims Opposing Hard to find Opposing

alternate or are not strong or claims are opposing claims not
Opposing Claim
opposing relevant to the unclear claims addressed
claims claim

Supports the Supports the claim Evidence is Lacks No evidence

claim with with reasoning and not relevant evidence and to support
logical evidence, and or not relevance claims
reasoning and demonstrates completely
relevant some thought out
Evidence
evidence, understanding of
demonstrating the topic
a complete
understanding
of the topic

Uses variety One or two errors More than 3 Nearly all No cohesion
words, with some variety errors with phrases and and clarity
phrases, and in word usage, little variety in clauses are
clauses to clauses but not word choice incorrect, or
create enough to cause and clause or are not used
Words, Phrases, cohesion and misunderstandings phrase at all. Little
clauses and sentences clarify the or harm the usage. cohesion and
relationships relationships of the Cohesion is clarity
among the claims, reasons, harder to between
claim, and evidence follow as a claims and
reasons, and result evidence
evidence

Establishes Mostly follows Few informal Casual style No formal

and maintains formal style sections of and jargon style looks like
Style
a formal style writing a text
message

Provides a Concluding Concluding Concluding No concluding

concluding statement mostly statement statement is statement
statement that supports the mentions the incomplete
Concluding Statement follows from argument argument and or doesn’t
and supports presented presented mention
the argument argument
presented

Conventions/Grammar, Demonstrates Demonstrates Demonstrates Demonstrates Demonstrates

Usage and Mechanics exceptional strong command proficient marginal poor
command of of the conventions command of command of command of
the of standard written the the the
conventions of language, having conventions conventions of conventions of
standard few errors of standard standard standard
written written written written
language and language, language, with language
is free of with some frequent errors
errors errors which which
may confuse confuses
meaning meaning

Uses a wide Uses a variety of Uses some Uses few No evidence

variety of relevant sources sources sources which of research
relevant which successfully which begin do little to
sources which address the to address address the
Research successfully claim/thesis. Most the claim/thesis.
address the sources are claim/thesis. Few sources
claim/thesis. correctly cited Some are cited
Sources are sources are
correctly cited correctly cited