NJSLA-A Grade 9 and NJGPA-A Argumentative Rubric
The NJ NJSLA-A Grade 9 and NJGPA-A Argumentative Rubric scored out of 15 points across 3 criteria, for argumentative writing at grades 9-12. Published by New Jersey Department of Education.
3 pages, US Letter, black and white. Free, no account, no email. Includes every performance level and a blank scoring sheet.
How it is scored
- Ideas and Focus5 pts · 5 levels
- Organization5 pts · 5 levels
- Expression and Word Choice5 pts · 5 levels
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The full rubric
Ideas and Focus · 5 points
5 points
Focused response, clear understanding of task and purpose. Characteristics: a precise claim that is distinguished from alternate or opposing claims; relevant and sufficient textual evidence used in analysis of a topic to clearly support a claim; valid, sound reasoning that clearly develops claims and counterclaims; clearly explains the strengths and limitations of claims and counterclaims.
4 points
Mostly focused response, general understanding of task and purpose. Characteristics: a precise claim that is generally distinguished from alternate or opposing claims; relevant and sufficient textual evidence used in analysis of a topic to generally support a claim; sound reasoning that generally develops claims and counterclaims; generally explains the strengths or limitations of claims and counterclaims.
3 points
Basic response, some understanding of task and purpose. Characteristics: a precise claim that is somewhat distinguished from an opposing claim; relevant textual evidence used in analysis of a topic to somewhat support a claim; reasoning that somewhat develops claims and counterclaims; somewhat explains the strengths of claims or counterclaims.
2 points
Limited response, partial understanding of task and purpose. Characteristics: a claim that is partially distinguished from an opposing claim; relevant textual evidence used to partially support a claim; limited reasoning that attempts to develop a claim; attempts to explain the strengths of claims.
1 point
Minimally written response, minimal understanding of task and purpose. Characteristics: a minimal, missing, or unclear claim; minimal, missing, or unclear supporting textual evidence; minimal, missing, or unclear reasoning; minimal or no explanation of claims.
Organization · 5 points
5 points
Focused response. Characteristics: introduces a claim and creates an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim, counterclaims, reasons, and evidence; transitions that clearly link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim and reasons, evidence, and counterclaims; a concluding section that clearly supports the argument presented.
4 points
Mostly focused response. Characteristics: introduces a claim and creates an organization that generally establishes relationships among claim, counterclaims, reasons, and evidence; transitions that generally link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim and reasons, evidence, and counterclaims; a concluding section that generally supports the argument presented.
3 points
Basic response. Characteristics: introduces a claim and creates an organization that somewhat establishes relationships among claim, reasons, and evidence; transitions that somewhat link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, or clarify the relationships between claim and reasons, evidence, or counterclaims; a concluding section that somewhat supports the argument presented.
2 points
Limited response. Characteristics: attempts to introduce a claim or create an organization to establish relationships between claim and reasons; transitions that attempt to link the major sections of the text; an attempted concluding statement that partially supports the argument presented.
1 point
Minimally written response. Characteristics: a minimal or no introduction of a claim or connection between claim and reasons; minimal or no transitions to link sections of the text; a minimal or no concluding statement.
Expression and Word Choice · 5 points
5 points
Focused response. Characteristics: establishment and maintenance of a style and tone appropriate to the audience and purpose.
4 points
Mostly focused response. Characteristics: establishment and general maintenance of a style and tone appropriate to the audience and purpose.
3 points
Basic response. Characteristics: basic establishment and maintenance of a style and tone somewhat appropriate to the purpose.
2 points
Limited response. Characteristics: attempted establishment of style or tone.
1 point
Minimally written response. Characteristics: minimal or unclear style or tone.
This rubric applied to a real essay
Below is a sample essay scored against the rubric above, shown the way it looks inside the grader. The marks, the scores and every comment are the grader’s own output, not written by hand for this page. It scored 11 out of 15.
The essay is written for this page, at roughly a B grade so both the strengths and the weaknesses are worth seeing. It is not a real student’s work.
The prompt
Some schools now require students to complete community service hours before they can graduate. Write an essay arguing whether your school should adopt this requirement. Support your position with specific reasons and examples.
Every year my school asks students what they want to do after graduation, and every year a lot of us say we do not know. I think requiring community service hours would help with that problem. My school should adopt a community service requirement because it shows students what work actually feels like1, it connects them to their own neighborhood, and it builds skills that a classroom cannot teach.
The strongest reason is that service gives students real experience. Last summer I volunteered at the public library shelving books and helping with the summer reading program. Before that I had never had to show up somewhere on time for someone who was counting on me. I learned how to talk to strangers, how to ask a question when I did not understand a task, and how to keep working when the job was boring.2 None of my classes had taught me those things. A requirement would give every student that kind of experience, not just the ones who happen to find it on their own.3
Community service also connects students to the place they live. Students who feel connected to their town are more likely to stay involved as adults.4 It is important for young people to care about where they come from.5 Our town has a lot of history and there is a mural downtown that was painted a long time ago.6
Some people argue that service should not be forced, because forcing it takes away the meaning. I understand that argument, but I do not agree. Students are required to take math, and nobody says that ruins math.7
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How it scored, criterion by criterion
The essay has a clear, consistent claim and addresses the prompt directly. The first body paragraph is genuinely strong: the personal library anecdote provides concrete, relevant evidence and the reasoning that connects it to the claim is developed. The second body paragraph, however, collapses — after a reasonable topic sentence about community connection, it drifts into vague assertions ('it is important for young people to care') and ends with a completely irrelevant sentence about a downtown mural, providing no real evidence or analysis. The counterclaim paragraph introduces and briefly refutes the 'forcing ruins meaning' objection, but the rebuttal (the math analogy) is underdeveloped — no explanation of why the comparison holds or what limitations exist. Taken together, the essay lands at a basic level: one well-supported point, one unsupported point, and a thin counterclaim treatment.
The essay follows a recognizable and functional argumentative structure: an introductory paragraph with a thesis, two distinct body paragraphs, a counterclaim paragraph, and a conclusion. Transitions such as 'The strongest reason,' 'Community service also,' and 'Some people argue' clearly signal movement between sections and generally link ideas back to the claim. The conclusion restates the argument and adds a concrete detail ('Twenty hours over four years') that reinforces the case. The structure is mostly sound, though the disorganized second body paragraph and a comma splice in the conclusion ('would be good for students and good for the town, my school should adopt one') are minor but noticeable flaws that prevent this from reaching a fully focused level.
The essay establishes a consistent, appropriately formal-yet-personal voice that suits an argumentative school essay. Sentence variety is reasonable, and the tone stays persuasive throughout without becoming informal or rambling. The second body paragraph loses focus and reads more like filler than argument, which briefly disrupts the maintained style, but the rest of the essay — particularly the first body paragraph — uses precise, purposeful language that fits the task. Overall the style and tone are established and generally maintained.
What the student was told to fix
- Revise the second body paragraph: cut the mural sentence and add a specific example or evidence showing how service builds community connection
- Expand the counterclaim rebuttal beyond one analogy — explain why requiring service is comparable to requiring math, or add a second refutation
- Support every body paragraph's topic sentence with concrete evidence (a fact, statistic, or detailed example), not just general statements
- Fix the comma splice in the conclusion and review for similar run-on constructions elsewhere
Graded on 2026-08-09. A teacher can change any score before it goes back to the student.
Source
New Jersey Department of Education. Official document. Rubrics are revised periodically, so check the source before using this for a graded assessment.
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