Belief-Systems-of-India-Thematic-Essay---Scoring-Rubric

							      Major Belief Systems (Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism)
                                  SCORING RUBRIC
5 (93% – 100%)
     Fully addresses the task by completely answering all parts of the question
     Has a clear and effective thesis statement that addresses the question fully
     Has a well developed and strong introductory thesis paragraph
     Has a well developed and strong conclusion paragraph
     Essay is well organized and demonstrates a clear, consistent and logical plan of organization
     Clearly explains beliefs of each religion with reference to specific vocabulary, major religious beliefs,
      and important practices
     Clearly discusses the effect of each belief system on a specific group of followers or a particular
      civilization or society and its leaders
     Richly incorporates relevant historical detail throughout the essay to support the thesis
     Utilizes relevant historical support and details to explain each belief systems’ major beliefs and overall
      spiritual goal and the religions’ impact on particular followers or civilizations
     Analyzes by frequently explaining “why” each belief system had certain beliefs and “how” those
      beliefs influenced the actions of followers or development of a particular society or civilization
     Essay makes use of perfect grammar, spelling, punctuation and mechanics


4 (85% – 92%)
     Addresses the task by answering all parts of the question
     Has a clear and well defined thesis statement
     Has a clear and developed introductory thesis paragraph
     Has a clear and developed conclusion paragraph
     Essay is well organized and demonstrates a clear and logical plan of organization
     Explains the major beliefs of each religion, but with some unevenness in detail, explanation, and
      development
     Discusses the effects of each belief system on particular civilizations or groups of followers but with
      some gaps in depth, detail, and explanation
     Incorporates some relevant outside information to support the thesis statement
     Utilizes relevant historical examples and details to explain each belief system and its impacts
     Explains the beliefs of each religion and how those beliefs impacted the behavior of followers or the
      development of a civilization but it may be uneven, superficial, or limited
     Essay may contain some minor grammatical, punctuation, mechanical and/or spelling errors


3 (77% – 84%)
     Addresses most elements of the task or addresses all parts of the question in a limited way
     Thesis statement is somewhat vague or limited
     Introductory thesis paragraph is limited – does not fully introduce the essay
     Conclusion paragraph is limited – does not fully conclude the essay
     Essay has a satisfactory level of organization with a clear plan of organization
     Explains the major beliefs of each religion, but with little depth or analysis
     Discusses the effects of religious beliefs on followers and the development of a civilization or society,
      but with little depth or analysis
     Uses limited relevant outside information to support the thesis statement
     Historical examples are superficial, vague, or missing
     Discusses the beliefs and goals of each belief system and how they influenced followers or societies,
      but with only faulty, vague, and/or isolated examples of analysis of
     Essay may contain numerous minor or a few major grammatical, spelling, punctuation and/or
      mechanical errors
2 (65% – 76%)
     Attempts to address some aspects of the task
     Thesis statement is limited, vague, and/or unclear
     Introductory paragraph is missing, vague, or limited – does not properly introduce the essay
     Conclusion paragraph is missing, vague, or limited – does not properly conclude the essay
     Essay is poorly organized, lacks focus, and does not have a clear plan of organization
     Essay is poorly supported by outside historical detail. Much of the historical detail used is not clearly
      relevant to the thesis statement
     Does not properly explain major beliefs of both belief systems
     Does not properly discuss the impacts of the various religious beliefs on followers or civilizations
     Historical examples are largely missing; essay is vague in detail and supporting content
     Major beliefs or specific effects receive little or no analysis or explanation
     Essay contains several major grammatical, spelling, punctuation and/or mechanical errors


1 (65% or below)
     Shows limited understanding of the task and does not address the question
     Thesis statement is missing or unclear
     Supporting reasons are missing
     Uses no relevant outside information
     Essay has no or very poor organization
     Introduction and conclusion are missing or are poorly presented and vague
     Essay has numerous minor and major grammatical, spelling, punctuation and/or mechanical errors

 ALL ESSAYS MUST BE TYPED USING TIMES NEW ROMAN FONT SIZE 12.
              ALL ESSAYS MUST BE DOUBLE SPACED.
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