iRubric: English 3H Personal Narrative Essay rubric

creates interest and engages the reader; provides a clear thesis in response to the prompt

creates interest and provides a thesis that responds to the prompt

generic opening but provides a thesis that responds to the prompt; may be too long

random details or boring opening; thesis is vague or unclear

has a logical progression of ideas with a clear structure that enhances the essay; paragraphs are not too long -- they engage reader and invite continued reading; transitions are effective in providing understanding of place and/or time and moving from one point to another

has a logical progression of ideas; transitions are used; some paragraphs may be too long

attempts to develop thesis idea but paragraph structure gets in the way of readability; needs transitions to improve flow and readability

lacks clear organization; paragraphing structure is uninviting to the reader; transitions are not used or are rarely used which makes the piece choppy and hard to read

uses specific, concrete, sensory details that show rather than tell to invite the reader to experience what he reads; "opens the window" to allow the reader to get to know the writer

uses some concrete and sensory details that show rather than tell; allows the reader a genuine glimpse of who the writer is

attempts to show with some use of detail but tells more than shows; difficult for reader to get an insight into who the writer really is

too much telling; lacks concrete, sensory details; sounds generic -- could be anyone

few if any errors in mechanics; shows mastery of the conventions of standard written English

a few errors in mechanics; the paper is readable and shows some effort in terms of proofreading and editing

some errors in mechanics; paper is readable but shows lack of knowledge of conventions of standard written English OR lack or proofreading and editing

too many errors in mechanics; errors make the paper difficult to read; shows a lack of knowledge of the conventions of standard written English OR the lack of proofreading and editing