Memoir Final Draft Rubric
Criteria 4 3
Purpose and The purpose of the writing—to focus
Voice on one clearly defined incident in the
writer’s life—is evident. The writer’s
voice is consistent, clear, engaging,
and appropriate for the purpose.
Ideas and The topic is engaging, and the
Content content is consistently compelling
and is appropriate. The importance
or meaning of the incident is evident.
Structure The writer does an outstanding job in
and the structure and organization of the
essay. The essay has a clear
Organization beginning that draws the reader in, a
middle that provides details, and an
end that leaves the reader satisfied.
There is a clear pattern of
chronological organization.
Transitions help ideas flow smoothly
from one sentence to the next and
from paragraph to paragraph.
Language The language, word choice, and tone
and Word fit the topic. The essay is
consistently written in first person,
Choice and the writer uses language that
shows rather than tells. Effective use
of dialogue helps make the essay
come alive.
Sentences The writer uses a variety of sentence
and structures and lengths. Any
fragments are clearly intentional.
Mechanics There are few, if any, errors in
grammar, usage, or mechanics.
The purpose of the writing—to
focus on one incident in the
writer’s life—is evident. The
writer’s voice is present although
not always consistent.
The topic is interesting, and the
content is appropriate. The
importance or meaning of the
incident is evident.
The writer does a good job in the
structure and organization of the
writing. The essay has a
beginning, a middle that provides
details, and an end that generally
leaves the reader satisfied. The
writing is organized mostly
chronologically and is easy to
understand although there may
be some misplaced ideas or ideas
that do not always flow well from
one to the next because of a lack
of transitions.
The language, word choice, and
tone mostly fit the topic. The
essay is generally written in first
person although there are one or
two lapses. There is some
showing language and dialogue.
The writer uses some different
kinds of sentences. An occasional
unintentional fragment might
creep in, but there are few errors
in grammar and mechanics, and
they do not interfere with
understanding.
2 1
The purpose of the writing—to
focus on one incident in the
writer’s life—is usually evident.
The writer’s voice may be hard
to identify.
The topic and content are
somewhat interesting and mostly
appropriate for a memoir. The
importance or meaning of the
event is not entirely clear.
The writer does a fair job in the
structure and organization of the
writing. The essay may be
missing a beginning or an end,
leaving the reader feeling
dissatisfied. The writing is
difficult to follow, and ideas do
not flow well from one to the
next. There is no clear pattern of
organization and few, if any,
transitions.
The language, word choice, or
tone may be inconsistent for the
topic. The essay is generally
written in first person although
there are some lapses into
second or third person. There is
little, if any, showing language.
Dialogue is sparse and does not
contribute to the events of the
memoir.
The writer uses unvarying
sentences. Unintentional
fragments, run-ons, and other
errors sometimes interfere with
understanding.
It is difficult to determine the
writer’s purpose. No clear writer’s
voice comes through.
The topic is not appealing, and the
content is not always appropriate
for a memoir. The writer does not
convey any meaning to the
incident.
The writer does a poor job in the
structure and organization of the
writing. There is no clear
beginning, middle, and end. The
writing is disjointed and difficult to
follow. Ideas seem to be
connected randomly, and there are
few, if any, transitions.
The language, word choice, and
tone are not appropriate for the
topic. The point of view is
inconsistent, and there is no
showing language. Dialogue is
difficult to recognize and does not
add to the essay.
The essay contains many errors
that make the writing consistently
difficult to understand.
©2017 Teach BeTween the Lines
©2017 Teach BeTween the Lines