AP US History Essay Rubric



US History Honors: Constitution Essay

You will answer the following question in essay format. You will be doing this at home, so your essay should be well thought out, well-written and specific while utilizing critical thinking skills. Your essay should be a minimum of 5-paragraphs. The question is below:

Describe the strengths and weaknesses of the United States, as it existed under the Articles of Confederation. Did the new Constitution successfully correct the Articles’ flaws or simply create new ones?

• There is a basic rubric below to follow

• You should be using notes from class as well as the book, and 2 outside resources (NOT Wikipedia!)

• You need a works cited page that is in MLA format. You do not need to cite notes from class, however you must have in-text citations for the textbook and your outside resources

DUE DATE: TUESDAY 10/7/14

US History Essay Rubric

(Adapted from:  U.S. History:  Preparing for the A.P.Exam, AMSCO Publishers, 1998, pp. xxix-xxx)

Name______________________________________________ Date___________________________________

Essays are graded based on the quality of their thesis, supporting evidence, effectiveness of analysis, organization, presentation, and written expression.

The A Essay

❖ Contains a well-developed thesis that clearly addresses the question.

❖ Effectively analyzes of all parts of the question, although treatment may be somewhat uneven.

❖ Provides substantial, relevant outside information to support thesis.

❖ Is well organized and well written.

❖ May contain minor errors.

The B Essay

❖ Contains a thesis, which may be partially developed, that addresses the question. Not as focused or comprehensive as above.

❖ Analyzes all parts of the question in some depth, but may focus more substantially on one part.

❖ Supports thesis with some relevant outside information.

❖ Has acceptable organization and writing.

❖ May contain errors that do not seriously detract from the quality of the essay.

The C Essay

❖ Presents a limited, confused, and/or poorly developed thesis, or presents no thesis.

❖ Analysis deals with only one aspect of the question in a general way, or all parts in a superficial way with simplistic explanations.

❖ Contains little relevant information, information that is inaccurate or irrelevant, or may contain only generalizations.

❖ Demonstrates weak organization and/or writing skills that interfere with comprehension.

❖ May contain major errors.

The D/F Essay

❖ Contains no thesis or a thesis that does not address the question, or simply restates the question.

❖ Demonstrates inadequate or inaccurate understanding of the question.

❖ Includes no relevant information on the topic.

❖ Is disorganized and poorly written.

❖ May contain numerous errors, both major and minor.

Score: ________________________

Comments:

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