Holistic rubric template
A single-judgment rubric: four whole-performance level descriptors for written work, with guidance on when holistic beats analytic scoring — and when it doesn't.
What's inside
- Four whole-performance level descriptors, ready to adapt
- When-to-use-it guidance (speed vs per-criterion feedback)
- Adaptation notes for presentations, practicals and portfolios
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Holistic rubric
12 rows × 3 columns| Holistic rubric — written work | ||
| One overall judgment per piece of work: read the whole performance, then match it to the level it best fits. Use holistic scoring when speed and an overall judgment matter more than per-criterion feedback — switch to an analytic rubric when students need to know which aspect to improve. | ||
| Source: Brookhart 2013, How to Create and Use Rubrics (ASCD) | ||
| Source: Jonsson & Svingby 2007, Educational Research Review (rubric reliability & validity review) | ||
| Level | Points | The work as a whole… |
| Exemplary | 4 | A convincing, well-organised piece: a clear controlling idea carried through, specific evidence analysed rather than quoted, and language precise enough that errors never distract. |
| Proficient | 3 | A competent piece: the main idea is clear and mostly sustained, evidence supports the key claims, structure is easy to follow, and errors are minor. |
| Developing | 2 | An uneven piece: the main idea is present but drifts, evidence is thin or unexamined, organisation or language problems slow the reader. |
| Beginning | 1 | An unformed piece: no controlling idea, claims without support, and structural or language problems that impede understanding. |
| Adapting it | Rewrite the descriptors for your task (presentation, practical, portfolio); keep each one a picture of the WHOLE performance, not a checklist of parts. |
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- Four whole-performance level descriptors, ready to adapt
- When-to-use-it guidance (speed vs per-criterion feedback)
- Adaptation notes for presentations, practicals and portfolios
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This template is derived from:
Holistic grades are fast — and StudyDrome keeps them consistent, tracking every grade against the rubric so drift between markers shows up early.
See StudyDrome