Rhetorical Analysis Rubric Notes
Rhetorical Analysis Rubric
Thesis (Row A: 0-1 points)
0 points:
No defensible thesis
Thesis restates the prompt.
Thesis summarizes the issue without a coherent claim.
There is a thesis, but it does not respond to the prompt.
1 point:
Responds to the prompt with a defensible thesis that analyzes the writer's rhetorical choices.
Responses that earn this point:
Respond to the prompt rather than restate or rephrase the prompt and clearly articulate a defensible thesis about the rhetorical choices the writer makes.
The thesis may be more than one sentence, provided the sentences are in close proximity.
The thesis may be anywhere within the response.
For a thesis to be defensible, the passage must include at least minimal evidence that could be used to support that thesis; however, the student need not cite that evidence to earn the thesis point.
The thesis may establish a line of reasoning that structures the essay, but it needn't do so to earn the thesis point.
A thesis that meets the criteria can be awarded the point whether or not the rest of the response successfully supports that line of reasoning.
Evidence and Commentary (Row B: 0-4 points)
0 points:
Simply restates thesis (if present), repeats provided information, or offers information irrelevant to the prompt.
Typical responses that earn 0 points:
Are incoherent or do not address the prompt.
May be just opinion with no textual references or references that are irrelevant.
1 point:
EVIDENCE: Provides evidence that is mostly general.
COMMENTARY: Summarizes the evidence but does not explain how the evidence supports the student's argument.
Typical responses that earn 1 point:
Tend to focus on summary or description of a passage rather than specific details or techniques.
Mention rhetorical choices with little or no explanation.
2 points:
EVIDENCE: Provides some specific relevant evidence.
COMMENTARY: Explains how some of the evidence relates to the student's argument, but no line of reasoning is established, or the line of reasoning is faulty.
Typical responses that earn 2 points:
Consist of a mix of specific evidence and broad generalities.
May contain some simplistic, inaccurate, or repetitive explanations that don't strengthen the argument.
May make one point well, but either do not make multiple supporting claims or do not adequately support more than one claim.
Do not explain the connections or progression between the student's claims, so a line of reasoning is not clearly established.
3 points:
EVIDENCE: Provides specific evidence to support all claims in a line of reasoning.
COMMENTARY: Explains how some of the evidence supports a line of reasoning AND Explains how at least one rhetorical choice in the passage contributes to the writer's argument, purpose, or message.
Typical responses that earn 3 points:
Uniformly offer evidence to support claims.
Focus on the importance of specific words and details from the passage to build an argument.
Organize an argument as a line of reasoning composed of multiple supporting claims.
Commentary may fail to integrate some evidence or fail to support a key claim.
4 points:
EVIDENCE: Provides specific evidence to support all claims in a line of reasoning.
COMMENTARY: Consistently explains how the evidence supports a line of reasoning AND Explains how multiple rhetorical choices in the passage contribute to the writer's argument, purpose, or message.
Typical responses that earn 4 points:
Uniformly offer evidence to support claims.
Focus on the importance of specific words and details from the passage to build an argument.
Organize and support an argument as a line of reasoning composed of multiple supporting claims, each with adequate evidence that is clearly explained.
Explain how the writer's use of rhetorical choices contributes to the student's interpretation of the passage.
Writing that suffers from grammatical and/or mechanical errors that interfere with communication cannot earn the fourth point in this row.
To earn the fourth point in this row, the response may observe multiple instances of the same rhetorical choice if each instance further contributes to the argument, purpose, or message of the passage.
Sophistication (Row C: 0-1 points)
0 points:
Does not meet the criteria for one point.
Responses that do not earn this point:
Attempt to contextualize the text, but such attempts consist predominantly of sweeping generalizations.
Only hint at or suggest other arguments.
Examine individual rhetorical choices but do not examine the relationships among different choices throughout the passage.
Oversimplify complexities in the passage.
Use complicated or complex sentences or language that are ineffective because they do not enhance their analysis.
1 point:
Demonstrates sophistication of thought and/or a complex understanding of the rhetorical situation.
Responses that earn this point may demonstrate sophistication of thought and/or a complex understanding of the rhetorical situation by doing any of the following:
Explaining the significance or relevance of the writer's rhetorical choices (given the rhetorical situation).
Explaining a purpose or function of the passage's complexities or tensions.
Employing a style that is consistently vivid and persuasive throughout the student's response.
This point should be awarded only if the sophistication of thought or complex understanding is part of the student's argument, not merely a phrase or reference.