WRITING RUBRIC

LANGUAGE INSTITUTE

Thinking about improving more and more not only our service (education) but also our dexterity
as teachers/evaluators; and, since rubrics make expectations and criteria explicit, which
facilitates feedback and self-assessment; the Language Institute has decided to standardize a
rubric to evaluate the students’ performance during the Oral Exams.

So that, it’s important to keep in mind that assessment rubrics are there to accomplish three
goals:
• inform the students of standards and expectations
• inform the students about levels of achievement
• inform the students about specific areas in need of improvement.

In addition, teachers may prefer to distribute assessment rubrics at the beginning of the
semester, so that students are aware of expectations and understand how their work will be
evaluated.

Consequently, the following chart is the scoring table which is going to be included in the Exam
Answer Sheet. There are listed 5 criteria which must be evaluated at the Writing Section; each
one has a grading scale ranging from 0,5i to 2 points.

There’s also a place where the teacher could either take notes about each criteria.

At the end of this evaluation, it’s necessary to write down the final GRADE of this section.

Writing Rubric
Criterion Score Comments
Content /2
Communicative Achievement /2
Language /2
Organization /2
Structure /2
Marks /10

In order to have a better administration of this scoring table, it’s important to understand what
each criterion means or represents.

In simple words, here are the definitions:

Criterion Definition
Focuses on how well the student has fulfilled the task, in other words if they
Content have done what they were asked to
Communicative Focuses on how appropriate the writing is for the task and whether the
Achievement candidate has used the appropriate register.
Focuses on vocabulary and grammar. This includes the range of language as
Language well as how accurate it is.
Focuses on how well the student puts together the piece of writing, in other
Organization words if it is logical and ordered.
Structure Focuses on sentences structure

SALESIAN POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY

LANGUAGE INSTITUTE
 WRITING RUBRIC
LANGUAGE INSTITUTE

CRITERION 0 0,5 1 1,5 2

•Inadequate •Limited • Adequate • Effective • Relevant
The content is totally Irrelevances and Minor Most of the All the content
irrelevant to the task misinterpretation of the irrelevances content is relevant response to the
Content task to the task task / Reader's
questions are all
answered
•Inadequate •Limited • Adequate • Effective • Relevant
It's not possible to Communicate Communicate the Communicate
understand the writer The ideas are hard to ideas clearly. ideas clearly and
Communicative ideas follow. concisely.
Achievement Use the
appropriate
register

• Inadequate Word •Limited Word Choice • Adequate Word • Effective Word • Relevant
Choice (incorrect, (Vague, redundant, Choice Choice Word Choice
unclear) simplistic) (Appropriate, (Appropriate, (precise,concise)
• Grammar Usage • Several specific) precise, concise, • Consistent in
(inconsistencies) inconsistencies in • Somewhat clear) grammar usage
• Serious errors such as grammar usage consistent in • Mostly • No spelling
commas, fragments, Grammatical errors grammar usage consistent in mistakes or
fused sentences, and such as commas, Demonstrates grammar usage grammatical
Language agreement problems fragments, agreement correct sentence Sentences are errors.
obscure meaning and errors, vague or construction for fluent, graceful, Sentences are
make this paper awkward phrasing may the most part, and a pleasure to fluent, graceful,
inconsistent with college- obscure the meaning of although some read. They are and a pleasure
level writing standards. an otherwise good sentences may be generally free to read.
paper. awkward or from errors,
unclear. although there
may be a minor
error in the piece.
• Inadequate •Limited • Adequate • Effective • Relevant
Unclear Some evidence of a Attempts an Clear evidence of Clear and logical
Organization is missing beginning, middle, and adequate a beginning, order.
both overall and within end introduction and middle, and end. Easy to read
Organisation
paragraphs. ending. / Flow of
ideas

Structure • Inadequate •Limited • Adequate • Effective • Relevant

Contains numerous Major errors in Complete Complete and Sophisticated
fragments, but not sentence structure sentences (minor correct sentences and well
complete sentences errors in controlled
sentences sentences
structure)

Please, remember that students must:

 be explained how they will be evaluated

 understand the used criteria
 have this scoring table in advance, so that they have a clear understanding of the
expectations the teacher has on their performance, which would help to improve the
teaching-learning process.

SALESIAN POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY

LANGUAGE INSTITUTE
 WRITING RUBRIC
LANGUAGE INSTITUTE

SALESIAN POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY

LANGUAGE INSTITUTE