AP English Literature and Composition

Poetry Explication Rubric

9-8 / 7-6 / 5 / 4-3 / 2-1
Analysis / These superior responses are thoughtful, specific, and cogent. They may offer a range of interpretations and emphasize different literary techniques, but all demonstrate the writer's ability to discuss an idea with insight and understanding and to control a wide range of the elements of effective composition. “9” responses are incrementally more sophisticated and eloquent than “8” responses.
80-75 points / These competent responses are less thorough, less perceptive or less specific than 9-8 responses. They are well-written but with less maturity and control. They reveal a more limited understanding and less stylistic maturity than do the responses in the 9-8 range. “7” responses are more thoughtful and/or better written than “6” responses.
70-65 points / Superficiality characterizes these responses. Discussion of meaning may be formulaic, mechanical, or inadequately related to the chosen details. Typically, these responses reveal simplistic thinking and/or immature writing. They usually demonstrate inconsistent control over the elements of composition and are not as well conceived, organized, or developed as the upper-half responses. However, the writing is sufficient to convey the writer's ideas, stays mostly focused on the passage, and contains at least some effort to produce analysis, direct or indirect.
60 points / These lower-half responses fail to offer an adequate analysis and might be marred by notable stylistic weaknesses. Discussion is likely to be unpersuasive, perfunctory, underdeveloped or misguided. The meaning they deduce may be inaccurate or insubstantial and not clearly related to the passage. The writing may convey the writer's ideas, but it reveals weak control over such elements as diction or organization. “3” responses may contain significant misreadings and/or demonstrate inept writing.
55-50 points / These weak responses compound the weakness of responses in the 4-3 range and are frequently unacceptably brief. Although the writer may have made some effort to analyze the passage, the views presented have little clarity or coherence. They are poorly written on several counts. “1” responses contain little coherent discussion.
45-40 points
Annotation / 100% complete
5 points / 80% complete
4 points / 60% complete
3 points / 40% complete
2 points / 20% or less complete
1 point
Vocabulary words / The response incorporates more than two current or past highlighted or underlined vocabulary words.
5 points / The response incorporates one current or past highlighted or underlined vocabulary words.
4 points / The response incorporates no current or past highlighted or underlined vocabulary words.
0 points
Conventions / The response contains no major errors (agreement, apostrophes, sentence errors) and/or no more than 3 minor errors in conventions (grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization).
5 points / The response contains 1-2 major errors that do not interfere with meaning and/or no more than 5 minor errors in conventions that do not interfere with meaning.
4 points / The response contains 3 major errors that do not interfere with meaning and/or no more than 7 minor errors that do not interfere with meaning.
3 points / The response contains 4 major errors and/or more than 7 errors in conventions, and the errors interfere with meaning.
2 points / The response contains 5 or more major errors and/or serious and pervasive errors in conventions.
1 point
MLA formatting / The response is correctly formatted as follows:
  • typed
  • insightful title
  • title is centered
  • double-spaced
  • 1.5-2 pages
  • correct heading
  • correct header
  • 12 point Times New Roman
  • quotations are well-integrated and cited
5 points / The response is incorrectly formatted in 2 areas.
  • typed
  • insightful title
  • title is centered
  • double-spaced
  • 1.5-2 pages
  • correct heading
  • correct header
  • 12 point Times New Roman
  • quotations are well-integrated and cited
4 points / The response is incorrectly formatted in 4 areas.
  • typed
  • insightful title
  • title is centered
  • double-spaced
  • 1.5-2 pages
  • correct heading
  • correct header
  • 12 point Times New Roman
  • quotations re well-integrated and cited
3 points / The response is incorrectly formatted in 6 areas.
  • typed
  • insightful title
  • title is centered
  • double-spaced
  • 1.5-2 pages
  • correct heading
  • correct header
  • 12 point Times New Roman
  • quotations re well-integrated and cited
2 points / The response is incorrectly formatted in more than 6 areas.
  • typed
  • insightful title
  • title is centered
  • double-spaced
  • 1.5-2 pages
  • correct heading
  • correct header
  • 12 point Times New Roman
  • quotations re well-integrated and cited
1 point