The Evaluative Essay: From Reading to Rating [Assignment/Rubric]
Christopher Manes
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this assignment, students will
- evaluate a given text against a predetermined rating system (unsatisfactory, needs improvement, meets expectations, exceeds expectations, and outstanding).
- compose an evaluation paper that integrates textual evidence, quotes, and paraphrases from the essay to support their ratings and overall assessment.
Assignment Prompt
Select an essay. Students can either choose one on their own or be assigned one. Analyze and evaluate the text using a rating system of unsatisfactory, needs improvement, meets expectations, exceeds expectations, and outstanding.
Assignment Steps
First, use the essay title to develop 5W1H (who, what, where, when, why, how) questions. See the Pre-Reading Tip: Annotating Titles for the full assignment.
Second, read the essay to answer the 5W1H questions developed in the first step.
Third, answer the following evaluative questions in 3-5 sentences. Where appropriate, your answers to the 5W1H questions (from the first two steps) and your overall impression should inform your responses.
- Unsatisfactory: What was a fact, opinion, or place in the essay that seemed impermissible? Explain why.
- Needs Improvement: What was an opinion or fact that seemed appropriate but needed more explanation to be impactful or to directly answer one of the questions developed from the title? Explain why.
- Meets Expectations: Where in the essay did the author(s) directly address questions the student developed from the title? Explain why.
- Exceeds Expectations: What was a surprise or unexpected insight gained? Explain why.
- Outstanding: What is one insight or writing style you encountered in the essay that seems exemplary enough to be modeled in your future writing? Explain why.
Each question should be answered directly in the first sentence, supported with evidence (quotes or paraphrases) from the essay in the second and third sentences, and concluded with final thoughts, creating brief paragraphs of about 3-5 sentences for each rating: unsatisfactory, needs improvement, etc.
Note to Students: Evaluative questions can be answered using, as evidence, the essay’s content and/or the author’s writing style (rhetoric). When using quotes or paraphrases, be sure to cite and explain the contents. Do not assume a reader will read a quote or paraphrase and interpret it the same way as you.
After each of the evaluative questions have been fully answered in 3-5 sentences, the student needs to decide, of the five ratings, which one is most important. The most important rating will then become the basis for the introduction, thesis, and conclusion. Students may also need to rewrite the first sentences or add new sentences to each paragraph, explaining each rating in comparison or contrast to the one that the student feels is most distinctive.
Rubric
Total Possible Points: 100 points
| Unsatisfactory 1-5 points |
Needs Improvement 6-10 points |
Meets Expectations 11-15 points |
Exceeds Expectations 16-20 points |
Outstanding 21-25 points |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Content covers five ratings and develops at least one paragraph for each rating | Content does not cover all five ratings or may significantly lack explanation and support to justify the rating(s) | Content covers five ratings but one or two paragraphs may need more explanation or support to demonstrate justification for the paragraph’s rating. | Content covers five ratings and develops at least one paragraph for each rating | Content covers five ratings and at least one paragraph for each rating; one or two paragraphs exceed basic insight and analysis in justifying ratings. | Content covers five ratings and at least one paragraph for each rating. Most developed paragraphs thoroughly analyze merit with critical insight and explanation |
| Paragraph format
3-5 sentences minimum Topic sentences should directly and without ambiguity answer the appropriate question for the selected rating; supporting lines should explain and provide textual evidence for answer. In-text citations should be used if directly quoting or paraphrasing from a source. Conclusions should wrap-up analysis but not introduce new opinions or facts. |
Paragraph(s) may or may not be inclusive of a topic sentence, supporting detail with appropriate citation, and conclusion. One or more parts are either absent or incomplete. Transitions, verbs, and other factors may hinder line-flow | Paragraph)s) mostly demonstrate sufficient topic sentences, supporting line(s) with citation, if necessary, and concluding remark(s), but one or more parts need improvement for clarity | Paragraph(s) demonstrate a sufficient topic sentence, supporting line(s), appropriate citation if required, and concluding statement. Transitions from one paragraph to another and/or within sentences are sufficient | Paragraph(s) demonstrate a highly effective topic sentence, supporting detail, with citation if necessary, and conclusion. Transitions are mostly strong, as are most points of analysis and action verbs | Paragraph(s) include necessary and well-revised parts (topic sentence, support, and conclusion) that reflect strong transitions, action verbs, and insightful analysis |
| In-text citations should meet standard guiding style selected by instructor or determined by department. | Multiple errors exist in citations and/or lack of citations may indicate misuse of evidence | One or two in-text citation(s) may be incorrect or may fall under a different rule | In-text citation(s) meet basic style guide, specifically, to rules covered in class | In-text citation(s) show complex use of style guide in addition to ones in class | In-text citation(s) exceed expectations and are accompanied with full-text citation(s) |
| Introduction, thesis, and conclusion | Significant gaps in either the introduction, reasoning, thesis, or conclusion may be visible. These parts, if included at all, may also lack meaningful connection to the rest of the paper. | Introductory paragraph may begin to introduce ratings but not specify the exact overall rating or reasoning for it. The thesis may not be seamlessly connected to the rest of the paper. The conclusion may have similar problems or introduce new material | Introductory paragraph clearly emphasizes justification for an overall rating of the selected text (i.e., thesis), and a concluding paragraph wraps up the evaluative essay; transitions are sufficient to each paragraph’s focus (rating) | Introductory paragraph clearly emphasizes justification for an overall rating of the selected text (i.e., thesis), and a concluding paragraph wraps up the evaluative essay; student has also begun to show effort to revise most individual paragraphs to reiterate thesis | Introduction, thesis, and conclusion exceed expectations AND transitional language throughout paper’s paragraphs are strong and reiterate thesis (overall rating) without redundancy or distraction from individual paragraph- content and “flow” |
Downloadable Resources (Rubric)
Click here to download a Word Doc version of the rubric:
Rubric – The Evaluative Essay: From Reading to Rating assignment
Attribution:
Manes, Christopher. “The Evaluative Essay: From Reading to Rating [Assignment/Rubric].” Strategies, Skills and Models for Student Success in Writing and Reading Comprehension. College Station: Texas A&M University, 2024. This work is licensed with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
