Snapshot of Victoria Young’s

Deconstruction of the Persuasive

Writing Rubric

The same 3 overarching aspects of writing are

addressed in each rubric:

Organization/Progression

Development of Ideas

Use of Language/Conventions

There are 8 bullets altogether. Important to

understand the rubric on two levels:

what each bullet means in terms of writing skills

how the bullets—the writing skills—are interrelated

Bullet #1: Responsiveness

Focus on the charge

Organizational structure must “fit” the purpose

Bullet #2: Focus/Sustaining Focus

The thesis

Very narrow

Bullet #3: Progression/Connections

All details/ideas must enhance/add to meaning

Unified/coherent piece

Expository essays must:

explain what the student thinks about the

topic.

be a direct response to the central “charge”

of the prompt (the “Write about”), not the

stimulus (the “Read”) or the “Think about.”

use organizational strategies appropriate to

informational writing (e.g., cause/effect,

compare/contrast, problem/solution).

To be focused, a expository essay must:

Be centered around an explicit, specific controlling idea/ thesis.

Have a controlling idea that represents the student’s “take” on the topic.

Have a controlling idea that gives the reader the clear goal of the essay.

Not have a controlling idea that is broad/general and/or evolving.

Write an essay

explaining whether

failure can strengthen

a person.

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The expository essay must:

Have sentences that logically connect to each other.

Have meaningful transitions between sentences, paragraphs, and ideas.

Not have perfunctory transitions.

Not have repeated sentences or paragraph

Refrain from repeating the prompt in the introduction.

Refrain from repeating the introduction in the conclusion.

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Bullet #4: Quality of the Development

Meaningful transitions

Logically connected sentencesSuperficial/basic vs. Insightful/accomplished

Bullet #5: Thoughtfulness/Individuality

Unique ideas and display

Not formulaic

When writing expository essays, students should:

Rely on personal experiences/real world connections.

Logically build upon ideas through meaningful

transitions.

Refrain from using random/unconnected ideas.

Use few yet specific, deep ideas.

Refrain from listing many ideas without depth.

When writing expository essays, students should:

Allow the reader to “see” who they are.

Express personal feelings and thinking about the task (purpose + topic).

Refrain from using formulas.

Refrain from using ideas that are too abstract or philosophical.

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Bullet #6: Word Choice Words used must establish an appropriate tone.

Word choice makes writing clearer, more precise, and more interesting.

No evidence of slang

Bullet #7: Sentence Control Varied in length and structure

Bullet #8: Sentence Boundaries and Conventions

Correct sentences

Correct use of grammar and mechanics

When writing expository essays, students:

Can use 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person as long as they are developing the explanation.

Should refrain from using vague, general, or imprecise words.

Be mindful of using “impressive” words out of context.

Should be aware of denotation vs. connotation in context of their writing.

When writing expository essays, students

should:

Write well-connected sentences.

Write meaningful sentences that enhance

understanding and flow.

Be aware of unclear or awkward sentences.

When writing expository essays, students

must:

Demonstrate a firm understanding/ mastery

of grammar, capitalization, spelling, and

usage.

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