1 (Unacceptable)	2 (Marginal)	3 (Adequate)	4 (Proficient)	5 (Outstanding)
Careful Reading	The essay reflects almost no familiarity with the literary text	The essay reflects little familiarity with the literary text or with the techniques used by the author to create meaning	Demonstrates an understanding of the literary text and the techniques used by the author to create meaning	Demonstrates a deep understanding of and response to the literary text and the techniques used by the author to create meaning	Demonstrates a profound understanding of and response to the literary text and the techniques used by the author to create meaning
Critical Approach	No coherent critical approach is applied to the literary text	The critical approaches applied to the literary text are not used in such a way as to shed light on the work	Facility in approaching the text through one or more critical perspectives	Great facility in approaching the text through one or more critical perspectives	Expertly uses one or more critical approaches to uncover new depths of meaning in a literary work
Defensible Thesis	The essay’s thesis is either a simple statement of fact about the text, an irrelevant personal opinion, or nonexistent	While the essay does have an identifiable thesis about the literary work, it would be very difficult to argue for or against it	The essay has an identifiable thesis that can serve as the basis for a debate between opposing sides	The essay has a clearly-articulated thesis that can serve as the basis for an interesting debate between opposing sides	The essay has a clearly-articulated and provocative thesis that can serve as the basis for a fascinating debate between opposing sides
Persuasive Argument	The essay’s attempts to persuade the reader to adopt a particular interpretation actually convince the reader to take the opposing view	While the essay does not actually undermine its own thesis, it does little or nothing to persuade the reader of its validity	The essay’s argument is persuasive due to both logical and emotional appeals	Despite the reader’s initial skepticism, the essay’s argument is ultimately persuasive due to both logical and emotional appeals	Despite the reader’s initial skepticism, all resistance to the essay’s thesis is overwhelmed by its logical reasoning and emotional power
Supporting Detail	Few details from the literary text are offered in support of the thesis; the details that are included seem unrelated to the thesis	While specific details from the literary text are mentioned, they seem to have little relevance to the essay’s thesis	The thesis is sustained by supporting detail from the primary text and (optionally) from secondary texts	The thesis is sustained by well-chosen supporting detail from the primary text and (optionally) from secondary texts	The thesis is sustained by a wealth of well-chosen supporting detail from the primary text and (optionally) from secondary texts
Organized Structure	The essay shows no apparent organizational scheme; ideas are repeated randomly, and there is no sense of movement toward a conclusion	There is a structure to the essay, but it would be more persuasive if rearranged, if ideas were introduced more clearly, or the essay ended less abruptly	The essay has an interesting opening, several supporting paragraphs and a concluding paragraph that provides a sense of completion to the essay	The essay is well organized, with a strong opening, smoothly-flowing supporting paragraphs and a persuasive close	The essay is beautifully organized, with a captivating opening, smoothly-flowing supporting paragraphs and a triumphantly persuasive close
Clear Writing	Errors in grammar, punctuation and/or mechanics make it difficult to understand the ideas the essay is trying to convey	Significant errors in grammar, punctuation and/or mechanics interfere with the reader’s understanding of the essay	A few errors in grammar, punctuation and/or mechanics distract from, but do not obscure, the meaning of the essay	Language is used as a virtually transparent medium of expression; mechanics and punctuation clarify meaning	Language is used as a transparent medium of expression, conveying the essay’s meaning with telepathic clarity
Creative Language	The essay’s style is purely utilitarian; the language is either dry or cliché-ridden	The essay exhibits little creativity in the use of language	The essay exhibits some degree of creativity in the use of language	The essay is a pleasure to read because of the style and inventiveness of the writing	The essay is a joy to read simply because of the liveliness, beauty and cleverness of the writing
Concise Expression	The deletion of lengthy and/or numerous passages from the essay would enhance, rather than detract from, the meaning of the paper	The deletion of lengthy and/or numerous passages from the essay would not detract from the meaning of the paper	There are few wasted words in this essay; occasionally a phrase or two may lead away from the main idea, but the focus is generally maintained throughout	There are few wasted words in this essay; every phrase is carefully chosen to move the overall argument gracefully forward	There are no wasted words in this essay; every phrase is a carefully chosen gem that moves the overall argument gracefully forward
Effective Citation	There are no signs of deliberate plagiarism, but the sources of quotations are not effectively identified; cited works are not clearly identified in the body of the essay (or vice versa)	There are significant errors in MLA citation format, but the sources of quotations and paraphrases, whether from the primary (literary) text or secondary (critical) texts, are identified	While there are some minor errors in MLA citation format, the sources of quotations and paraphrases, whether from the primary work or critical texts, are clearly identified	The sources of quotations and paraphrases, whether from the primary (literary) text or secondary (critical) texts, are clearly identified using the MLA citation format	The sources of quotations and paraphrases, whether from the primary (literary) text or secondary (critical) texts, are seamlessly blended into the context of the paper