No plausible position is taken on the topic; severely lacking in examples, reasons and/or evidence

Disorganized; little or no focus; incoherent

Contains fundamental vocabulary mistakes

Severely flawed sentence structure

Grammar and word usage are so poor that they interfere with meaning; very poor mechanics (like punctuation)

Position on topic is unclear or extremely limited; inappropriate examples or reasons; insufficient evidence

Poorly organized; lacks focus; problems with coherence or flow of ideas

Poor use of language; indicates very limited vocabulary and poor word choice

Frequent problems with sentence structure

Grammar and word usage mistakes are frequent and interfere with meaning; poor mechanics

Position on topic demonstrates critical thinking skill applied inconsistently; inadequate examples, reasons or evidence

Limited in organization and focus; demonstrates lapses in coherence or flow of ideas

Displays developing use of language; contains indications of weak vocabulary and poor word selection

Some problems with sentence structure; lacks a variety of sentence structures

Contains many mistakes in grammar word usage and mechanics

Position on topic demonstrates competent critical thinking skill; example, reasons and evidence are adequate

Generally organized and focused; demonstrates some coherence and attention to the flow of ideas

Displays adequate, but inconsistent, use of language; vocabulary used is generally appropriate

Good sentence structure; demonstrates some variety of sentence structure

Contains some mistakes in grammar, word usage and mechanics

Position is effectively developed through strong critical thinking skill; examples, reasons and evidence are generally appropriate

Well organized and focused; demonstrates coherence and ideas flow well

Displays competent use of language; uses appropriate vocabulary

Good sentence structure; demonstrates variety in sentence structure

Generally free of mistakes in grammar, word usage and mechanics

Position effectively and insightfully developed through outstanding critical thinking skill; examples, reasons and evidence are clearly appropriate

Well organized and clearly focused; clearly coherent and ideas flow seamlessly

Displays skillful use of language; vocabulary is accurate and varied; words are appropriately and skillfully chosen

Good sentence structure; demonstrates meaningful and skilled variety of sentence structure

Free of most mistakes in grammar, word usage and mechanics