Rubric for the 10 Million $ Essay
Markers of Excellent Writing (85%-100%)
Ideas
Astute, Analytical, Rich & complex understanding of the social issue, Logical problem solving, Appropriate textual evidence and examples, Insightful, Convincingly developed valid thesis, Contains a well-worded thesis, Ethos, Pathos, Logos, Powerfully persuasive
Voice
Sophisticated language, Stylistic maturity, Very individual, Not too forced or unnatural in tone, Appropriate to the task, humor (if it used at all) is appropriate, tone is well-controlled
Organization
Well-supported reasoning, A structure that supports the purpose, Relevant and specific references to the prompt, Effective command of organization, Great transitions, Solid topic sentences, A great hook, An effective title
Word Choice
Precise vocabulary, Avoids vague words like “a lot” and “really,” Effective command of diction, Excellent verbs, Vocab says what it means and means what it says, No thesaurus abuse
Sentence Fluency
Eloquent writing, Concise, Effective command of sentence structure, Avoids passive voice, Each sentence makes sense, Subjects & verbs agree Pronouns and antecedents are clear and in agreement, No confusion of past/present/future tenses
Conventions
Very few spelling, punctuation, or capitalization errors, No inappropriate run-on sentences, Sound mechanics, No inappropriate sentence fragments, The writing is not perfect, but is quite impressive
Markers of More Problematic Writing (65%-84%)
Ideas
Less astute, Not appropriately analytical, Overly simple understanding of the social issue, Somewhat lacking textual evidence and examples, Less than insightful, Poorly developed valid thesis, Contains no thesis, Not especially persuasive
Voice
Bland language, Not especially individual, Forced or unnatural in tone, Inappropriate to the task, tone isn’t well-controlled, Sarcasm replaces ideas
Organization
Not well-supported, Lacks a structure that supports the purpose, Too much irrelevant summary, Too much irrelevant support, Weak transitions, Weak topic sentences, Unimpressive hook, Weak title, No title
Word Choice
Imprecise vocabulary, Too many vague words like “a lot” and “really,” Bland verbs, Vocab is imprecise, Thesaurus abuse
Sentence Fluency
Not eloquent, Wordy, Passive voice, Sentence don’t always make sense, Subjects & verbs don’t always agree, Pronouns and antecedents aren’t always clear and in agreement, Confusion of past/present/future tenses
Conventions
Too many spelling, punctuation, or capitalization errors, Inappropriate run-on sentences, Inappropriate sentence fragments
Markers of Excellent Writing (85%-100%)
Ideas
Astute, Analytical, Rich & complex understanding of the social issue, Logical problem solving, Appropriate textual evidence and examples, Insightful, Convincingly developed valid thesis, Contains a well-worded thesis, Ethos, Pathos, Logos, Powerfully persuasive
Voice
Sophisticated language, Stylistic maturity, Very individual, Not too forced or unnatural in tone, Appropriate to the task, humor (if it used at all) is appropriate, tone is well-controlled
Organization
Well-supported reasoning, A structure that supports the purpose, Relevant and specific references to the prompt, Effective command of organization, Great transitions, Solid topic sentences, A great hook, An effective title
Word Choice
Precise vocabulary, Avoids vague words like “a lot” and “really,” Effective command of diction, Excellent verbs, Vocab says what it means and means what it says, No thesaurus abuse
Sentence Fluency
Eloquent writing, Concise, Effective command of sentence structure, Avoids passive voice, Each sentence makes sense, Subjects & verbs agree Pronouns and antecedents are clear and in agreement, No confusion of past/present/future tenses
Conventions
Very few spelling, punctuation, or capitalization errors, No inappropriate run-on sentences, Sound mechanics, No inappropriate sentence fragments, The writing is not perfect, but is quite impressive
Markers of More Problematic Writing (65%-84%)
Ideas
Less astute, Not appropriately analytical, Overly simple understanding of the social issue, Somewhat lacking textual evidence and examples, Less than insightful, Poorly developed valid thesis, Contains no thesis, Not especially persuasive
Voice
Bland language, Not especially individual, Forced or unnatural in tone, Inappropriate to the task, tone isn’t well-controlled, Sarcasm replaces ideas
Organization
Not well-supported, Lacks a structure that supports the purpose, Too much irrelevant summary, Too much irrelevant support, Weak transitions, Weak topic sentences, Unimpressive hook, Weak title, No title
Word Choice
Imprecise vocabulary, Too many vague words like “a lot” and “really,” Bland verbs, Vocab is imprecise, Thesaurus abuse
Sentence Fluency
Not eloquent, Wordy, Passive voice, Sentence don’t always make sense, Subjects & verbs don’t always agree, Pronouns and antecedents aren’t always clear and in agreement, Confusion of past/present/future tenses
Conventions
Too many spelling, punctuation, or capitalization errors, Inappropriate run-on sentences, Inappropriate sentence fragments
