“The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to those who think they’ve found it.”
– Terry Pratchett, Monstrous Regiment
There is a tendency for assessment criteria to be used by instructors, solely for evaluative purposes. Their value as a tool for teaching and learning is not always fully utilised. As well as being an effective evaluation tool, rubrics can also be used as a pedagogic tool to support and scaffold a student’s learning process and aid in the development of their assessment literacy.
Parts of a Rubric
Criteria – list of the specific elements that are being evaluated. An assessment is broken down into these primary components. Sometimes these are accompanied by a criteria standard which describes the specific aspects for which the criteria is being evaluated. For larger rubrics, each criteria may be whole table which improves readability.
Performance Levels – represent the range of possible achievement and the assessment level earned. These can each just be a general level, they can each have a specific mark allocated to them, or they can each be allocated to a range of marks (then space to note the specific mark in that range is left).
Performance Descriptors – provides a clear description of what that level of performance for that criterion looks like.
Rubric Types and Key Applications
A number of types of rubrics exist, each suited to specific purposes depending on their intended use. The primary categories you will encounter include:
Holistic Rubrics present a single overall score based on students’ overall performance with a general judgment of the student’s work, rather than evaluating individual components separately. Holistic rubrics are useful for large group scoring as they tend to be very efficient with only one criterion; however, they do not provide detailed information, tend not to easily allow diagnostic feedback, and can be difficult for students to understand.
Analytical Rubrics break down the assessment into multiple criteria, each of which is assessed independently. They provide detailed descriptions of performance at various levels for each criterion with given performance levels, e.g. good, excellent, etc. They can speed up marking as for each criterion the relevant performance is selected; however, with only performance levels they don’t provide a mark, so are most useful for formative assessments.
Grading Rubrics are very similar to analytical rubrics (and sometimes the terms are used interchangeably) but they include a numerical scale (e.g., 0–5) or a grade range (e.g., 0-29%, 30-39%, 40-49%, 50-59%, etc.) for each description. They are best used when the task is complex and involves multiple skills and the specific feedback across these is important. They help to support grading consistency and reliability across multiple markers.
Single-Point Rubrics outline the proficient (expected) level of performance for each criterion and provides space to note areas that exceed or fall short of expectations. This allows students to focus on what they are expected to achieve. They are generally more useful for formative assessment and feedback and they can encourage students to undertake self-assessment of their work. As they do not have descriptions linked to a mark, they are less suited to summative assessments and require more narrative feedback from the assessor.
Checklist Rubrics provide a simple list of criteria or required components and are used to verify whether specific elements are present in a student’s work. They are essentially a binary grading process, whether each criteria is achieved or not. These are very useful for competency based assessments and are very quick and clear to use. The main issue with these types of rubrics is that they do not really allow assessment of the quality of the work.
It is also possible to have a mixture of these types of rubrics within one assessment, if they are useful for different parts. Also, different types of rubrics can be classified as:
Generic rubrics which include criteria that are generic across tasks. They can be reused for different tasks and feedback is not specific. Potentially they can be used as programme level criteria.
Task-specific rubrics which have criteria and descriptors that are specifically designed for a particular task and reflect the distinctive aspect of the task.
Why use Rubrics
How do rubrics improve student understanding of assessments?
If given to students at the launch of an assessment, rubrics help to clearly define the expectations, criteria, and grading standards to students. This can help to focus students’ academic efforts and can motivate some students to aim for the performance level required. They can also clarify what particular criteria mean in terms of the assessment.
How can rubrics be used for peer and self-assessment?
As part of assessment for learning processes, students can use rubrics to assess their own work or use them as part of discussions with peers before submission. This enables students to undertake more structured and meaningful self/peer review exercises and often leads to fewer clarification questions from students. They may also find the assessment a more rewarding experience!
How do rubrics support inclusive and equitable assessment?
Rubrics help accommodate diverse learning needs by making expectations explicit to all students, i.e. they clearly define expectations at a range of performance levels and increase transparency around assessment). They ensure all students have equal access to grading criteria, regardless of how they access the unit content.
Can rubrics improve the quality of feedback?
Rubrics help provide specific and actionable feedback rather than vague comments, as most types of rubrics include grade descriptions. Feedback can be written clearly to identify strengths and areas for improvement more effectively which is also consistent across all students. This then provides a more complete, holistic picture of their performance than comments alone. Early and repeated use of rubrics builds student understanding of task expectations, performance standards, and assessment language. Familiarity with rubric terminology, often reflected in feedback, improves students’ ability to interpret and apply that feedback. This supports an ongoing learning process where feedback is clearer, more meaningful, and promotes deeper engagement.
Do rubrics enhance grading consistency?
Rubrics provide a standardised assessment framework, which reduces subjectivity when marking and improves transparency. This ensures all students are marked against the same criteria either when being marked by an individual or team of markers, as expectations are aligned. This improves fairness and reduces time required for post marking moderation as it supports conversations and justifications around grading when needed.
How do rubrics support module development?
When developing a rubric, consider what competencies should be demonstrated, and how they will be measured. This encourages a more critical evaluation of module learning outcomes and whether they are assessed in a valid manner. If a number of students do not demonstrate adequate achievement of a particular skill, this is easily identified with a rubric. The consistency that rubrics add to the assessment process makes it possible to track changes in student performance as teaching and content delivery is refined.
How do rubrics increase efficiency and reduce time in marking?
As rubrics have predefined criteria and clearly defined levels of performance, grading is streamlined as these criteria can simply be highlighted. This reduces time spent trying to justify marks, especially in large cohorts. Rubrics can keep tutors focused on the key things they are looking for in student work, speeding up the marking process.
Can rubrics reduce student queries and grade disputes?
Yes! When students see clear assessment criteria, they are more likely to understand their performance levels for specific criteria, and less likely to challenge overall grades. They perceive grades they receive on an assignment with a rubric as fairer than those assigned without one. This reduces grading queries and arguments with students after the marking process.
Warning – A poorly designed rubric doesn’t do any of these things.
Thanks to colleagues at the University of Manchester who provided comments on a draft of this information in a different format, including Fiona Valez-Colby, Marcus Percy, Craig Davis, Tamara Montrose, Karen Lander, Louisa Dawes, Rachel Ashworth, and Charlotte Warden.