Trait

Outstanding (5)

Developing (3)

Beginning (1)

Ideas

Narrow, manageable, fresh, answers creatively

Fairly broad, reasonably clear, attempted support, unanswered questions

Searching, unclear, restating, flat, disconnected

Organization

Flows smoothly, connected transitions

Fair transitions, some disconnection, some support for theme

Rambling introductions, development and conclusions

Voice

Resonates, risk taking, textured tone, personal

Pleasing and earnest, one or two surprises, obscure in some places

Monotone or repetitive, risk-free, impersonal

Word Choice

Accurate, specific, pictures, lively verbs, obvious precision

Generally adequate and correct, colorful attempts, passive verbs, occasionally refined, some hackneyed phrases

Vague, boring, limited, clichéd, words do not work

Sentence Fluency

Enhanced meaning, varied structure and length, cadence, tempo, beat

Routine but sufficient, some variety, hunt for clues, some stiffness and awkwardness

Choppy, rambling, unnatural, discordant, non-expressive openings for other traits

Conventions

Generally correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, capitalization. Sound paraphrasing

Sufficient spelling, punctuation, grammar, capitalization. Not serious problems with grammar

Frequent errors with spelling, punctuation, grammar, capitalization. Lack of paraphrasing, unclear reading