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iRubric: Common App Essay rubric

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

Powered by iRubric 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.




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