Holistic Scoring Guide for the Personal Narrative / College
Essay (by Ms. Brock)
A/A+ Gives the
readers a profound and complex understanding of the writer’s character.
Reveals
inner qualities, formative experiences, deeply-held
convictions.
Personal traits fully
revealed through vivid and compelling stories (showing not telling).
Uses highly specific language.
Voice of the essay sounds wholly authentic.
All
actions words are precise and varied.
No mechanical errors (pronoun usage, effect
vs. affect).
Marked
improvement from rough draft to final version.
Evidence
of careful effort throughout all stages of project.
All required material
submitted (pre-writing/web, rough, final, reflection).
B/B+ Gives the
readers a deep understanding of the writer’s character.
Reveals
inner qualities, formative experiences, values.
Personal strengths fully
revealed through stories (showing not
telling).
Uses
specific language.
Voice of the essay
generally conveys the character of the writer.
Most actions words are
precise and varied.
No more than two
mechanical errors (pronoun usage, effect vs. affect).
Noticeable
improvement from rough draft to final version.
Evidence of effort throughout all stages of
project.
All required material submitted.
C/C+ Gives the readers a basic
understanding of the writer’s character.
Addresses
inner qualities, formative experiences, and convictions to a limited extent.
Uses
some specific language.
Voice of the essay
partially natural; may seem strained or impersonal in places.
Personal strengths
revealed partially through compelling stories (showing not telling).
Some actions words are
precise and varied.
Multiple
mechanical errors (pronoun usage, effect vs. affect, others).
Significant
improvement from rough draft to final version, but more revision desirable.
Evidence of effort basically adequate, but
may be lacking in one stage of project.
All required material
submitted (pre-writing, rough, final, reflection).
D Leaves
the reader with
a vague impression of the writer’s character.
Neglects
inner qualities, formative experiences, personal
values.
Uses mostly generic language, rather than specific words.
Voice of
the essay reflects little of the writer’s character, or lapses into inappropriate
tone.
Writer
relies too much on telling (with
sweeping generalizations) rather than showing.
Actions
words are imprecise and repetitive.
Distracting number of mechanical errors.
Effort insufficient. Skipped or hastily executed one or more
stages of project.
Little improvement from rough draft to final version and/or
required materials missing.
F Meets
few or none of the above requirements.