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iRubric: Common App Essay rubric
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Common App Essay
An essay answering 1 of the 5 prompts on the Common App, this must have a brisk opening that puts me into the middle of a story, memorable and concrete details (Twix bars, greasy pizza, 54-12 score at the basketball game), an aha moment, revealed strengths/lessons, how strengths/lessons will influence college/career choices, spotlight on YOU (reader knows you well after essay), concise (no wordiness), consistent verb tense (past or present; be consistent)
Rubric Code:
XX667BX
By
jamfields
Ready to use
Public Rubric
Subject:
English
Type:
Writing
Grade Levels:
9-12
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Common App Essay
Poor
1 pts
Fair
2 pts
Good
3 pts
Excellent
(N/A)
Captivating Opening
Poor
Opens in vague, general way
Explicitly states "I learned that...." or equally formulaic statement
Does NOT put reader into story or scene
Does not capture attention
Fair
Opening may or may not involve a story
Average level of interest aroused, not particularly strong
Moves at average pace, not particularly brisk
Good
Opens in media res, in middle of a story
Opens quickly, establishes fairly brisk pace
Concrete imagery
Excellent
Opens in media res, in middle of story
Captures reader's attention immediately
Captivating
Pace
Poor
Sluggish, wastes valuable space, caught up in uninteresting or irrelevant details
Wanders without aim
Fair
Average pace, some noticeable examples of sluggishness or pointless turns
Good
Above average pace
Writing moves along fairly quickly and gets to its point
Excellent
Fast paced
Each sentence serves a purpose, getting to the aha quickly, efficiently
Story/Stories
Poor
No stories provided
Deals in generalities
Vague, abstract
Fair
Story/stories may or may not be present but are not especially memorable
Lacking in action and/or dialogue
Good
Story or stories attached to the lesson/aha moment/ revealed strengths
Excellent
Memorable, captivating story/stories with action and/or dialogue
Clearly and convincingly attached to lesson, aha moment, revealed strengths
Concrete Details
Poor
Examples are vague, general
No or barely any concrete images to appeal to senses (one cannot see, touch, hear, smell, or taste the examples)
Fair
Some concrete examples but more general, vague, abstract examples
Good
Several concrete examples that appeal to some senses
Excellent
Essay filled with concrete examples that appeal to the 5 senses
Crisp, unforgettable details
Aha Moment
Poor
Reveals no clear lesson about life or self
No change perceived
Fair
May reveal lesson about life or self, but states in cliched way, "That's when I learned..." or "This experience showed me that..."
Good
Reveals lesson about life or self; growth is revealed
Excellent
You grow in a clear, obvious way
Does not explicitly state what you learned; lesson or aha is obvious through the story/stories
YOU Are Revealed
Poor
Reader knows about someone or something other than you at end of essay
Fair
You reveal something about yourself, but essay isn't the showcase it could be for your personality
Good
Your change is evident by end of essay and this is mostly clear
Excellent
Reader knows you by end of essay; stories told to reveal something about YOU
Going Forward
Poor
No college/personal/future goals laid out
Purpose of essay not tied to larger meaning for writer
Fair
Implicit connection to writer's life/purpose, but not clearly drawn
Good
Essay's purpose tied in some way to future/personal/career goals
Excellent
Clearly connects lesson/aha/ strengths revealed to college/personal/future goals
Concise (NOT WORDY)
Poor
Filled with smothered verbs, passive voice, catch-all terms, who-which-that clauses, other "sins" of wordiness
Fair
Average wordiness, noticeable but not horrendous wastefulness
Good
A bit of wordiness but overall concise, lean writing
Excellent
Concise, lean, muscular writing
Hardly any sins of wordiness
Grammar, Spelling, Mechanics
Poor
Many errors in one or more categories; some of these errors are egregious.
Reading the essay for meaning is difficult of the numerous lapses in one or more categories.
Fair
Several errors in one or more categories; these errors are distracting.
Good
A few errors in one or more categories; these are not distracting.
Excellent
Nearly perfect in all categories.
Subjects:
English
Types:
Writing
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