A.P. Language and Composition - Essay Scoring Guide
For Book Critiques and Analysis Essays
A 9 ESSAY – 50 pts./ 25 pts.
Essays deserving a score of 9 demonstrate the writer’s exceptional control of effective writing techniques. They are clear, interesting, and correct. They analyze rhetorical strategies with insight and precision. They refer frequently to the text, directly or indirectly, and succinctly describe how such matters as tone, irony, diction, and use of examples contribute to the structure and meaning of a passage.
An 8 ESSAY– 48 pts./ 24 pts.
Essays earning an 8 are extremely well-written and demonstrate considerable mastery of written English. They meet all the criteria for essays earning a 9, but fall just slightly short of distinction.
A 7 ESSAY – 43 pts./ 22 pts.
Essays scored 7 competently analyze rhetorical strategies. They often use specific examples from the text and discuss, directly or indirectly, such matters as tone, irony, diction, and use of examples. They are reasonably well-developed and coherent. A few errors in word choice or sentence structure may exist, but no error is egregious enough to interfere with the clear expression of the writer’s ideas.
A 6 ESSAY – 40 pts./ 20 pts.
Essays earning a 6 are generally the same as those receiving a 7 except that the prose style may be less mature, or lapses in diction, syntax or clarity may be more serious.
A 5 ESSAY – 35 pts./ 18 pts.
Essays given a grade of 5 adequately answer the question but may lack full development. Ideas may be presented clearly but remain unsupported. The essay may be well organized and convey the writer’s ideas, but lapses in diction or syntax weaken the impact of the essay and suggest that the writer is not fully in control of effective writing techniques.
A 4 ESSAY – 30 pts./ 15 pts.
An essay earning a 4 responds inadequately to the question. It may miss the point of the question or analyze secondary stylistic or rhetorical strategies. It may be superficial, or its ideas may be developed incoherently—jumping from topic to topic. Although the point of the essay may be clear, the prose is immature, showing the writer’s lack of control over organization, word choice, or syntax.
A 3 ESSAY – 28 pts./ 14 pts.
Essays deserving a score of 3 are similar to essays scored 4 except the analysis is even less astute or is seriously flawed. The prose demonstrates that the writer has difficulty controlling organization, choosing the correct words, or using standard English syntax to convey ideas.
A 2 ESSAY – 23 pts./ 12 pts.
An essay earning a score of 2 demonstrates the writer’s inability to analyze the passage. It may wander off the topic or substitute a simpler task than that assigned by the question. The prose often reveals weaknesses in organizing material, in expressing ideas clearly, and in writing grammatically.
A 1 ESSAY – 20 pts./ 10 pts.
An essay deserving a 1 may be similar to an essay scored 2, but the ideas are more simplistic and the expression flawed, perhaps bordering on the incomprehensible.
A 0 ESSAY – 0 pts.
A 0 score indicates a blank paper, an essay not on the assigned topic, or a piece of writing that merely paraphrases the prompt.