Writing Evaluation Rubric
Component Excellent
(3 marks)
Introductory The introductory statement is the
first sentence, and it is one
Statement
complete sentence. This
statement introduces a personal
If the WEA is not health-related
a cause-and- topic/issue/experience/event.
This first statement includes 3
effect paragraph,
distinct, relevant, and
these criteria will supportable main points that
be scored as 0. suggest how the author was
(Criteria Not Met) affected by this experience.
Excellent
(9 marks)
Body of the The body of the paragraph
includes an introduction,
Paragraph
explanation, and support (i.e.
an example) for each of the 3
If the WEA is not main points. None of the main
a cause-and- points require source citations.
effect paragraph,
these criteria will
be scored as 0.
Excellent
(3 marks)
Concluding The concluding statement is the
last sentence and is one
Statement
complete sentence. The
concluding statement
If the WEA is not effectively summarizes the
a cause-and- paragraph and successfully
rewords/rephrases the 3 main
effect paragraph,
points introduced in the
these criteria will introductory statement.
be scored as 0.
(Criteria Not Met)
Excellent
(5 marks)
Organization The student writer has
effectively used transition
words/phrases both within and
If the WEA is not between the main points. The
a cause-and- use of transitions enhances the
effect paragraph, reader’s understanding of the
ideas presented. Ideas flow
these criteria will
logically and naturally.
be scored as 0.
Good
(2.5 marks)
The introductory statement
is the first sentence, and it
is one complete sentence.
This statement introduces a
personal health-related
topic/issue/experience/
event which includes 3 main
points. The points do
suggest how the author
was affected by this
experience; however, of
the 3 points given, two
points are too similar.
Good
(7.5 marks)
Each of the 3 main points is
introduced; however, at least
one of the points lacks
explanation and/or support.
None of the main points
require source citations.
Good
(2.5 marks)
The concluding statement is
the last sentence and is one
complete sentence. The
concluding statement
effectively summarizes the
paragraph and makes some
effort to reword/rephrase the
3 main points. However, at
least one or two of the points
reads identically to the
introduction.
Good
(4 marks)
The student writer makes
good use of transition
words/phrases throughout.
One or two more transitions
would be helpful.
Ideas flow logically.
Fair
(2 marks)
The introductory statement is the
first sentence, and it is one
complete sentence. Although the
topic sentence is a personal health-
related topic/issue/experience/
event, the 3 main points are not
included in this first sentence.
Instead, they are indicated in
subsequent sentences. As such, the
reader has to “find” the main points.
Likewise, there may be some
overlap between the points such that
they are not distinct.
Fair
(6 marks)
Each of the 3 main points is
mentioned in the paragraph;
however, more
development/explanation is required
for at least two of the points to
understand how they support the
topic. None of the main points
require source citations.
Fair
(2 marks)
The concluding statement may be
more than one complete sentence. A
bit more effort is required to ensure
the reader understands the
paragraph is drawing to a
conclusion. Likewise, more effort is
needed to reword/rephrase the 3
main points.
Fair
(3 marks)
The student writer makes fair use of
transition words or phrases. More
transitions (three or four) are needed
to help the reader follow the points.
Some ideas may be out of order.
Needs Development
(1.5 marks)
The introductory statement is one
sentence, but the topic is not a
personal health-related
topic/issue/experience/event. The
writer, instead, has introduced a general
health issue (i.e. type I Diabetes) or
some other topic not related to the
assignment details. There may be less
than 3 points clearly presented, and the
reader is not entirely sure how the points
support the topic, or the points given
may overlap too much. The reader may
not be entirely sure what the paragraph
is about.
Needs Development
(4.5 marks)
The 3 main points are difficult to identify.
As such, the reader has difficulty
understanding the explanation or finding
support. An example might be given for
a point, but it has not been introduced
and/or explained. Instead, it has been
left to the reader to “figure out”. None of
the main points require source citations.
Needs Development
(1.5 marks)
The concluding statement may be more
than one complete sentence. The main
points are not mentioned at all in the
conclusion. The reader may not get any
sense that the paragraph is being drawn
to a close.
Needs Development
(1.5 marks)
The writer has used only one or two
transitions throughout the entire
paragraph. As such, it has become
primarily the reader’s job to figure out
the connection from one point to the
next.
The order of ideas may cause confusion.
Criteria Not Met
(0 mark)
The introductory statement is not
evident. The reader is not sure
what the paragraph is about or how
it is being supported.
Criteria Not Met
(3 marks)
The 3 main points are not evident.
The reader cannot readily or easily
identify the introduction,
explanation, or support for each of
the 3 main points. At least one of
the sentences is worded in such a
way that a source citation is
required.
Cited material included in the
WEA will result in a mark of 0 for
this component.
Criteria Not Met
(0 mark)
There is no concluding statement.
The paragraph abruptly ends.
Criteria Not Met
(1 mark)
There are no transition
words/phrases used throughout.
The passage is difficult to follow.
 Excellent
(7.5 marks)
The writer has used language
appropriate for an academic
assignment/workplace
document. There are no
Language and contractions, clichés,
Style slang/informal phrases, or
wordiness evident throughout.
All words are used correctly (i.e.
there are no spelling errors or
homonym mistakes.) The
paragraph is properly formatted,
typed in 12 font, does not
exceed or fall short of the
required word count (325-350
words), and is double-spaced.
The writer has avoided the use
of general second-person
references (i.e. you, your).
Excellent
(7.5 marks)
The writer makes no errors in
grammar or mechanics that
distract the reader. There may
be one or two minor errors in
Mechanics punctuation: apostrophe use,
commas, colons, semi-colons,
end punctuation, and quotation
(this last
marks. There are no sentence
component is not fragments or run-on sentences.
part of the The writer largely demonstrates
peerScholar correct use of grammar and
syntax with one or two minor
activity; it is to be
errors in verb use/tense,
evaluated only subject-verb agreement,
by the instructor pronoun use, and modifiers.
on the final copy Sentences are well-constructed
and varied; the writing is very
of the
easy to read.
assignment)
*WEAs that are generated (in whole or in part) with the assistance of AI will result in an Academic Integrity Alert and earn a mark of zero
for both the peerScholar activity and the final copy Writing Evaluation Assignment.
Comments:
Good
(6 marks)
The writer has used
language appropriate for
an academic
assignment/workplace
document. The student
writer has mistakenly used a
contraction once or twice
and/or has made one or two
minor word use errors. (i.e.
spelling errors or homonym
mistakes.) The paragraph is
properly formatted, typed in
12 font, does not exceed or
fall short of the required
word count (325-350
words), and is double-
spaced. The writer has
avoided the use of general
second-person references
(i.e. you, your).
Good
(6 marks)
The writer makes very few
errors in grammar or
mechanics that distract the
reader. There may be a few
errors (3-4) in punctuation:
apostrophe use, commas,
colons, semi-colons, end
punctuation, and quotation
marks. There are no
sentence fragments or run-
on sentences. The writer
largely demonstrates correct
use of grammar and syntax
with one or two minor
errors in verb use/tense,
subject-verb agreement,
pronoun use, and modifiers.
Sentences are mostly well-
constructed and varied; the
writing is relatively easy to
read.
Fair
(4.5 marks)
The writer has used language that is
mostly (but not entirely) appropriate
for an academic
assignment/workplace document.
The student writer has mistakenly
used a contraction a few times
and/or made one or two minor word
use errors. (i.e. spelling errors or
homonym mistakes.) The paragraph
is properly formatted and typed in
12- font. The paragraph slightly
exceeds or falls short of the
required word count (325-350
words) and is double-spaced. The
writer has avoided the use of
general second-person references
(i.e. you, your).
Fair
(4.5 marks)
The writer makes more than a few
(5-6) grammar/mechanical errors
that distract the reader. There may
be one or two sentence fragments or
run-on sentences. The writer may
make more than one or two minor
errors in verb use/tense, subject-
verb agreement, pronoun use, and
modifiers. Sentences need some
revision to be easier to read.
Needs Development
(3 marks)
The writer has used too much language
that is not appropriate for an academic
assignment/workplace document.
There are too many contractions,
spelling mistakes, and/or homonym use
errors. Proofreading and editing are
needed to ensure the paragraph is ready
to submit. There are several indents; it
appears to be more than one paragraph.
It is typed in 12 font. The paragraph
exceeds or falls short of the required
word count (325-350 words) and is
double-spaced. The writer has used
one or two general second-person
references (i.e. you, your).
Needs Development
(3 marks)
The writer makes more than 6
grammar/mechanical errors that distract
the reader. There may be more than two
sentence fragments or run-on
sentences. The writer may make more
than two errors in verb use/tense,
subject-verb agreement, pronoun use,
and modifiers. Sentences need
revision to be easier to read.
Criteria Not Met
(1.5 marks)
The paragraph is not appropriate for
an academic assignment or
workplace document. The
language used is far too informal,
and much proofreading and editing
are needed to ensure the paragraph
is ready to submit. It appears to be
more than one paragraph. It
is typed in 12 font. The paragraph
greatly exceeds or falls short of
the required word count (325-350
words). The writer has used
general second-person references
(i.e. you, your). The assignment is
NOT double-spaced.
Criteria Not Met
(1.5 marks)
The writing contains too many
grammar/mechanical mistakes that
hamper the meaning and make the
writing difficult to read. Much
revision is needed.