Persuasive Writing Rubric – 9^th Grade English

Hilliard Davidson High School English Department

appropriate organization

• rhetorical completeness: introduction, body, conclusion
• clear thesis, typically placed at end of the introduction
• may have restated thesis, typically placed beginning of conclusion
• overall focus, unity, and coherence using effective transitions and transitional techniques

effective support of position

• is supported with an effective mix of logos, ethos, and pathos
• is well-developed using an appropriate variety of support types: facts/statistics, examples, anecdotes, authoritative opinions, observations, cause & effect, analogies, deductive/inductive logic
• excludes irrelevant information
• uses persuasive language effectively but not unfairly; avoids uncontrolled errors of logic and language
• fairly and effectively accounts for the opposition to the writer’s position
• uses an effective variety of reputable and reliable sources
• is properly documented and formatted in MLA form

MUGS

• proper academic voice – avoids first person
• sentence style
• diction
• mechanics
• usage
• grammar
• spelling