How to read a marking rubric before you start an assignment

What a rubric is

A rubric is usually a table. Each row is a criterion, which is one thing you are being marked on, such as knowledge, analysis, or communication. Each column is a level of performance, from the top band down. Each cell describes what work at that level looks like.

Read the top band first

Start with the highest level for every criterion. That column is a description of the assignment you are trying to write. Read it slowly and underline the verbs and the describing words.

Find the words that change between bands

Compare the top band to the one below it. Usually only a few words change, and those words are what the marks hang on. A typical pair:

• Top band: "discerning analysis of relevant evidence".
• Next band: "effective analysis of evidence".

The difference is "discerning" and "relevant". That tells you the top band is about choosing the right evidence, not using more of it.

Know what the verbs ask for

• Describe: say what something is like.
• Explain: say why or how it happens.
• Analyse: break it into parts and show how they relate.
• Evaluate: make a judgement and back it up with reasons.
• Justify: give the evidence for a decision or conclusion.

If the criterion says "evaluate" and you describe, the work can be accurate and well written and still sit in a middle band. Your school or syllabus may publish its own definitions of these terms, and those are the ones to follow.

Turn the rubric into a checklist

Rewrite each top-band cell as a question you can answer yes or no. "Have I made a judgement and given reasons for it?" "Is every piece of evidence tied back to the question?" Keep the list beside you while you plan.

Check your draft against it

1. Go through the draft one criterion at a time.
2. Highlight the sentences that meet that criterion.
3. If a criterion has almost nothing highlighted, that is where your marks are being lost.
4. Fix the weakest criterion first, since it usually has the most marks left to gain.

Ask about anything unclear

Rubric language can be vague. If you cannot tell what a phrase means, ask your teacher early, with the rubric in front of you. "What would discerning look like in this task?" is a good question, and most teachers are glad to answer it.

Keeping the rubric with your notes

In Grasp, each subject has a Resource Bank where you can add the rubric, the task sheet or the term planner. Grasp reads the document once and takes it into account when it writes notes, explanations and quizzes for that subject, so your practice questions lean towards what is actually assessed.