Holistic Scoring Guide

Distinguished (A+)

• Establishes and maintains a clear focus
• Strong evidence of character and setting description
• Provides a message of life lesson
• Careful oraganization/order of events
• Uses colorful, vivid words
• Control of surface features

• Focused on a purpose
• Good evidence of character and setting description
• Provides insight
• Logical order of events
• Uses some vivid words
• Few spelling/grammar mistakes

• An attempt to establish purpose
• Communicate with audience
• Some evidence of description
• No evidence of message
• Good organization of ideas
• Uses ordinary language
• Some spelling/grammar mistakes

• Limited awareness of purpose
• No description
• No message
• Random/weak organization
• Ineffective wording
• Several spelling/gammar mistakes