Generic AP Essay Rubric
8 – 9: These are well organized and well-written essays that clearly analyze the work and how the author dramatizes the situation. These essays use apt, specific references to the passage in order to discuss the author’s use of elements such as diction, imagery, pace, and point of view. While not flawless, these papers demonstrate an understanding of the text and of the techniques of composition. These writers express their ideas skillfully and clearly.
6 – 7: The content of these papers resembles that of higher scoring essays, but is less precise and less aptly supported. These essays deal with literary elements such as diction, imagery, and pace, but are less effective than the upper range essays. Essays scored at seven will generally exhibit fewer mechanical errors and draw from the passage more incisively than those scored at six.
5: These essays are superficial. Although not seriously in error about the content and literary technique of the passage, they miss the complexity of the piece and offer only a perfunctory analysis of how the subject has been dramatized. The treatment of elements such as diction and imagery is overly generalized or mechanical. The writing adequately conveys the writer’s thoughts, but the essays themselves are commonplace, poorly conceived, poorly organized, and simplistic.
3 – 4: These essays reflect an incomplete understanding of the passage and do not completely respond to the question. The discussion is unclear or simply misses the point. The treatment of literary elements is scanty or unconvincing with little support drawn from the passage. Typically, these essays reveal marked weaknesses in the writer’s ability to handle the mechanics of written English.
1 – 2: These essays contain the errors found in three and four scoring essays to an even more pronounced degree. One to two scoring essays either completely misunderstand the passage or fail to address the question. Typically, these essays are incoherent, too short, or both. The writing demonstrates no control of written English, either grammatically or organizationally.
0: This is a response that fails to address the question. There may only be a reference to the task.
Blank: This indicates that the response is completely off topic or that a response has not been made.
Scale score to numerical grade conversion table: See back.