Make a clear rating scale that you can use to evaluate each of the five points you will consider when reading the essay. This will enable you to give a fair assessment of each factor you look at when critiquing the essay. Your rating scale should look as follows:
0= Weak; 1= Inadequate; 2= Adequate; 3=Good; 4= Very Good; 5= Outstanding
Evaluate the essay's topic/theme. When you read, consider the essay's topic. Is it focused or too broad? Is the essay's thesis clear or vague? Does the essay have an original or unoriginal theme? Lastly, is the topic itself original or conventional?
Look at the essay's unity/organization. The points in this category that you will want to pay attention to are continuity of theme, logical order or organizational faults, smooth or abrupt transitions, specific or unspecific topic sentences, and thesis-driven explanations or no explanations at all.
Rate the essay's development. This third factor looks for the use of text-based details and examples to support the author's claims. Consider whether gaps exist in the development of the essay. Look for relevant quotes and definitions or a lack thereof. Does the essay employ the use of vivid description or no description? And are the author's claims well-researched or wholly undeveloped?
Consider the essay's analysis. Does the author tackle his topic with creative ideas or vague generalizations? Look at the ideas expressed in the essay and rate whether or not they're incomplete and superficial or if they are explored with depth.
Judge the essay's rhetoric/style. This essentially deals with the quality of the writing itself as opposed to research and content. Consider the following: Was the author's tone objective or inconsistent? Did the essay have a distinct voice or was it cliche? Was the language clear and original or too wordy with inaccurate word choices? Consider whether the sentences were written smoothly or if they were repetitive. Look for spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes. Lastly, if there is a "works cited" page that refers you to all the resources the author used, check to see whether it is properly formatted.