Generic AP Lang Rubric Rhetorical Analysis
The score should reflect a judgment of the essays quality as a whole. Remember that students had only 40 minutes to read
and write; the essay, therefore, is not a finished product and should not be judged by standards appropriate for an out-ofclass assignment. Evaluate the essay as a draft, making certain to reward students for what they do well.
All essays, even those scored 8 or 9, may contain occasional lapses in analysis, prose style or mechanics. Such features
should enter into the holistic evaluation of an essays overall quality. In no case may an essay with many distracting errors in
grammar and mechanics be scored higher than a 2.
Essays earning a score of 9 meet the criteria for a score of 8 and, in addition, are especially sophisticated in their argument, thorough in their development or impressive in their control of language.
Effective Essays earning a score of 8 effectively analyze* how [Author] uses rhetorical
8
strategies to [present message to audience]. They develop their analysis with evidence and
explanations that are appropriate and convincing, referring to the passage explicitly or implicitly.
The prose demonstrates a consistent ability to control a wide range of the elements of effective
writing but is not necessarily flawless.
Essays earning a score of 7 meet the criteria for a score of 6 but provide more complete explanation, more thorough development or a more mature prose style.
Adequate Essays earning a score of 6 adequately analyze* how [Author] uses rhetorical
6
strategies to [present message to audience]. They develop their analysis with evidence and explanations that are appropriate and sufficient, referring to the passage explicitly or implicitly. The
writing may contain lapses in diction or syntax, but generally the prose is clear.
Essays earning a score of 5 analyze* how [Author] uses rhetorical strategies to [present message to
audience]. The evidence or explanations used may be uneven, inconsistent or limited. The writing
may contain lapses in diction or syntax, but it usually conveys the students ideas.
Inadequate Essays earning a score of 4 inadequately analyze* how [Author] uses rhetorical
4
strategies to [present message to audience]. These essays may misunderstand the passage,
misrepresent the strategies [Author] uses or analyze these strategies inaccurately. The evidence
or explanations used may be inappropriate, insufficient or less convincing. The prose generally
conveys the students ideas but may be less consistent in controlling the elements of effective
writing.
Essays earning a score of 3 meet the criteria for a score of 4 but demonstrate less success in analyzing* [Authors] use of rhetorical strategies to [present message to audience]. They are less perceptive in their understanding of the passage or [Authors] strategies, or the explanation or examples
may be particularly limited or simplistic. The essays may show less maturity in control of writing.
Little Success Essays earning a score of 2 demonstrate little success in analyzing* how
2
[Author] uses rhetorical strategies to [present message to audience]. These essays may misunderstand the prompt, misread the passage, fail to analyze the strategies [Author] uses, or substitute a simpler task by responding to the prompt tangentially with unrelated, inaccurate or inappropriate explanation. The prose often demonstrates consistent weaknesses in writing, such as
grammatical problems, a lack of development or organization, or a lack of control.
1
0
Essays earning a score of 1 meet the criteria for a score of 2 but are undeveloped, especially simplistic in their explanation or weak in their control of language.
Indicates an on-topic response that receives no credit, such as one that merely repeats the prompt,
or presents an open letter to the readers about testing in general.
Indicates a blank response or one that is completely off topic.
*For the purposes of scoring, analysis refers to identifying features of a text and explaining how the
author uses these to develop the meaning or to achieve a particular effect or purpose
