Read a sample essay that focuses on the style and formatting requirements as well as content detail that you approve of. Note criteria in the sample essay that are key components to successfully responding to the subject and audience. Make a list grid of these qualities and components to create the rubric for the final essay.
Set a timeline of research and writing development based on the essay deadlines. Determine how many evaluation points are necessary for the essay writing process on this topic. Customize evaluation rubrics to key progressions that should be met by particular stages in the writing process.
Read through the essay. During this first read of the essay, you should mainly focus not on mistakes that you may notice but the actual content of the essay. This should be a key component of any essay rubric as the coherency of the writing will determine whether the essay is positively or negatively received by the reader.
Write a summary reaction to your reading of the essay's content. Include any concerns that should be addressed in terms of confusing references or unorganized composition. Attach this to a pre-printed copy of your customized rubric chart for this stage of the essay.
Evaluate the essay according to your rubric. Re-read the essay and make corrections to sentence structure and grammar as needed. Once complete, note the types of mistakes that occurred the most. In addition, identify less frequent mistakes that produce significant grammatical or structural problems.
Read the next rubric evaluation categories and continue with the remaining sections for organization and coherency. Refer to the notes written previously and note significant areas for improvement in your rubric upon your second reading.
Return a copy of your evaluation rubric and commentary to the writer for review. Discuss with the writer the corrections needed and the overall evaluation of the essay for that particular stage in the writing process.
Review the essay throughout the writing process based on your set progressions and evaluation requirements. Each successive evaluation should build on the initial assessment and basic core components.
Refer to previous rubric notes and commentary for prior drafts and evaluations for the final evaluation rubric. With these corrections and issues in mind, review the final essay for the needed corrections and restructuring. Evaluate the overall essay for the detail and coherency of the content, including grammar usage and structural formatting.