Persuasive Letter Rubric

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Goal/Thesis / Student strongly and clearly states a personal opinion and clearly identifies the issue. / Student clearly states a personal opinion. There is some reference to the issue. / Student’s personal opinion is not clearly stated. There is little or no reference to the issue. / Student’s personal opinion is not easily understood, and there is no reference to the issue.
Reasons and Supports / Student makes three or more excellent points with good support. It is evident the writer put much thought and research into this assignment. / Student makes three or more points with support, but the arguments are somewhat weak in places. The writer doesn’t persuade completely. / Student makes two points; shows some preparation, but arguments are weak. / Student’s preparation is weak; arguments are weak or missing; and fewer than three points are made.
Conclusion / Student summarizes personal opinion in a strong concluding statement. / Student summarizes personal opinion in a concluding statement. / Student’s concluding statement is a weak summary of personal opinion. / Student’s concluding statement makes no reference to personal opinion.
Organization / Student’s sentences and paragraphs are complete, well written, and varied. / Student’s sentence and paragraph structure is generally correct. / Student’s sentence and paragraph structure is inconsistent. / Student offers little or no evidence of sentence or paragraph structure.
Word Choice/Tone / Student chooses words that are clear, descriptive, and accurate. Student maintains consistent, persuasive tone throughout letter. / Student chooses words that are adequate; they are clear and descriptive. Student demonstrates a persuasive tone in parts of the letter. / Student chooses some words that are clear and descriptive. Student lacks consistent, persuasive tone. / Student’s language and tone create a letter that is unclear and lacks description.
Mechanics and Grammar / Student commits few, if any, punctuation, spelling, or grammatical errors. / Student commits several errors in punctuation, spelling, or grammar that do not interfere with meaning. / Student commits many punctuation, spelling, and/or grammatical errors that interfere with meaning. / Student commits many punctuation, spelling, and/or grammatical errors that make the piece illegible.