Organization

Effective organizational strategies and structures, such as logical order and transitions, which develop a position supported with a purposeful presentation of content.

Organizational strategies and structures, such as logical order and transitions, which develop a position supported with sufficient presentation of content.

Inconsistent organizational strategies and structures, such as logical order and transitions, which develop a position with inadequate presentation of content.

Little or no evidence of organizational strategies and structures, such as logical order and transitions, which develops a position with insufficient presentation of content.

Focus

Sharp, distinct controlling claim presented as a position and made convincing through

a clear, thoughtful, and substantiated argument with evident awareness of task and audience.

Clear controlling claim presented as a position and made convincing through a credible and substantiated argument with general awareness of task and audience.

Vague evidence of a controlling claim, presented as a position that may lack a credible and/or substantiated argument, with an inconsistent awareness of task and audience.

Little or no evidence of a controlling claim, presented as a position that lacks a credible and/or substantiated argument, with minimal awareness of task and audience.

Content Development

Substantial, relevant, and illustrative content that demonstrates a clear understanding of the purpose and an acknowledgement of counterarguments.

Thoroughly elaborated argument that includes a clear claim/opinion consistently supported with precise and relevant evidence.

Argumentative strategies are evident.

Adequate, specific and/or illustrative content that demonstrates an understanding of the purpose and an awareness of counterarguments.

Sufficiently elaborated argument that includes a clear claim/opinion supported with some relevant evidence.

Argumentative strategies may be evident.

Inadequate, vague content that demonstrates a weak understanding of the purpose.

Insufficiently elaborated argument that includes an underdeveloped claim/opinion supported with little evidence.

Minimal evidence of content, which demonstrates a lack of understanding of the purpose.

Unelaborated argument that includes an undeveloped claim/opinion supported with minimal or no evidence.

Style

Precise control of language, stylistic techniques, and sentence structures that creates a consistent and effective tone.

Appropriate control of language, stylistic techniques, and sentence structures that creates a consistent tone.

Limited control of language and sentence structures that creates interference with consistent tone.

Minimal control of language and sentence structures that creates an inconsistent tone.

Conventions

Thorough control and variety of sentence formation.

Few errors, if any, are present in grammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation, but the errors that are present do not interfere with meaning.

Adequate control and variety of sentence formation.

Some errors may be present in grammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation, but few, if any, of the errors interfere with meaning.

Limited and/or inconsistent control and variety of sentence formation. Some sentences may be awkward or fragmented.

Many errors may be present in grammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation, and some of those errors may interfere with meaning.

Minimal control and variety of sentence formation. Many sentences are awkward and fragmented.

Many errors may be present in grammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation, and many of those errors may interfere with meaning.