NJSLA-A Grade 9 and NJGPA-A Informative and Explanatory Rubric
The NJ NJSLA-A Grade 9 and NJGPA-A Informative and Explanatory Rubric scored out of 15 points across 3 criteria, for informative 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
Purposeful and focused response, clear understanding of task and purpose. Characteristics: complex ideas, concepts, and information that are examined and conveyed clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content; well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples that clearly develop the topic.
4 points
Mostly focused response, general understanding of task and purpose. Characteristics: ideas, concepts, and information that are examined and conveyed accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content; relevant and sufficient facts, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples that generally develop the topic.
3 points
Basic response, some understanding of task and purpose. Characteristics: ideas and information that are examined and conveyed through the selection, organization, or analysis of content; facts, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples that somewhat develop the topic.
2 points
Limited response, partial understanding of task and purpose. Characteristics: ideas or information that are conveyed through the selection or organization of content; details, other information, or examples related to the topic.
1 point
Minimally written response, minimal understanding of task and purpose. Characteristics: ideas or information that are minimally conveyed through the selection of content; minimal or no information or examples related to the topic.
Organization · 5 points
5 points
Purposeful and focused response. Characteristics: a clear introduction; organization of complex ideas, concepts, and information to clearly make important connections and distinctions; appropriate and varied transitions that clearly link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts; a concluding section that clearly supports the information or explanation presented.
4 points
Mostly focused response. Characteristics: a general introduction; organization of complex ideas, concepts, and information to generally make important connections and distinctions; appropriate and varied transitions that generally link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts; a concluding section that generally supports the information or explanation presented.
3 points
Basic response. Characteristics: a basic introduction; organization of complex ideas, concepts, and information to somewhat make connections and distinctions; appropriate transitions that somewhat link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, or clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts; a concluding section that somewhat supports the information or explanation presented.
2 points
Limited response. Characteristics: a limited or attempted introduction; organization of ideas, concepts, or information to make partial connections; transitions that attempt to link the major sections of the text; an attempted concluding statement that partially supports the information presented.
1 point
Minimally written response. Characteristics: minimal or no introduction; minimal or no organization of ideas, concepts, or information; minimal or no transitions to link sections of the text; minimal or no concluding statement.
Expression and Word Choice · 5 points
5 points
Purposeful and focused response. Characteristics: precise use of language to manage the complexity of the topic; establishment and maintenance of a style and tone appropriate to the audience and purpose.
4 points
Mostly focused response. Characteristics: appropriate use of language to manage the complexity of the topic; establishment and general maintenance of a style and tone appropriate to the audience and purpose.
3 points
Basic response. Characteristics: basic use of language to manage the topic; basic establishment and maintenance of a style and tone that is somewhat appropriate to the purpose.
2 points
Limited response. Characteristics: attempted use of language to manage the topic; attempted establishment of style or tone.
1 point
Minimally written response. Characteristics: minimal or unclear use of language to manage the topic; 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 10 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
Write an essay explaining how streaming changed the way music is made and sold. Use specific examples to develop your explanation.
Streaming did not simply change how listeners get music. It changed how music is written, because it changed the moment at which an artist gets paid.1
Under the older model, revenue arrived when someone bought an album. Under streaming, revenue arrives per play, and on most services a play only counts after roughly thirty seconds.2 That single rule reshaped song structure. Long instrumental introductions became a liability, because every second before the thirty-second mark is a second in which a listener might skip3 and the artist earns nothing. Songs now tend to reach the hook within the first fifteen seconds.4
Concert tickets have also become much more expensive in the last ten years, and many fans complain about fees.6 Some artists have started selling tickets directly to avoid this.
Your whole class, marked like this
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How it scored, criterion by criterion
The essay demonstrates a genuine, focused insight — the thirty-second payment rule reshaping song structure — and develops it with a concrete, accurate mechanism. However, two body paragraphs (concert tickets and the volume of releases) are either off-task or so thinly stated ('There are more of them') that they add no analytical weight. The playlist paragraph is similarly vague. The essay earns a 3 because one idea is examined with real clarity, but the remaining content only partially develops the topic and lacks the specific examples the prompt explicitly required.
The essay has a clear, purposeful introduction that frames the central argument, and a strong concluding sentence that ties back to the opening claim. Transitions like 'Streaming also changed' and 'Playlists matter a lot now too' link sections adequately, though some are mechanical. The structure is logical and the conclusion genuinely supports the explanation, which places this solidly at a 4; it falls short of a 5 because the middle sections (concert tickets, release volume) disrupt cohesion and the connections among ideas are not consistently made.
The essay's best passages show genuine command of informative prose — precise, economical, and appropriately formal. But several sections collapse into vague, repetitive language ('There are more of them,' 'It can help a song do well') that fails to manage the complexity of the topic. The style is inconsistent: sharp and analytical in the opening and closing, but noticeably thin in the middle, which prevents this from reaching a 4.
What the student was told to fix
- Replace the concert-ticket paragraph with an on-task example directly tied to streaming's effect on music creation or sales
- Develop each body paragraph with at least one specific, named example (an artist, song, or documented industry statistic)
- Eliminate repetitive sentences ('There are more of them') and use that space to add analytical depth
- Expand the playlist paragraph to explain what playlist placement actually changes about how music is written or marketed
Graded on 2026-08-12. 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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