​Rubric

Judging Rubric for PACC’s Poetry Competition

Rate from 1 – 5 (5 being best)

Score	Literary/Poetic Devices	Organization/ Form	Voice	Word choice	Relevance to theme
5	Writer displays mastery of author’s craft, while the poem includes multiple types of literary/poetic devices* which enhance meaning and do not take away from the poem’s central idea	Poem has a clear and focused central idea and concise organization; Poem’s form* is deliberate and enhances the central idea	Writer’s voice is original and creative; Creates a distinct mood/tone	Writer uses precise, original language  which create vivid images	Theme is clearly addressed in a meaningful and original manner
4	Writer displays proficiency of author’s craft, while the poem includes some types of literary/poetic devices* which somewhat enhance meaning and do not take away from the poem’s central idea	Poem has a mostly clear and focused central idea and clear organization; Poem’s form* is purposeful and enhances the central idea	Writer’s voice is mostly creative; Creates a recognizable mood/tone	Writer uses mostly precise and original language  which create vivid images	Theme is adequately addressed in a mostly meaningful and original manner
3	Writer displays partial proficiency of author’s craft, while the poem includes few types of literary/poetic devices* which do not enhance meaning	Poem has a somewhat clear and focused central idea and has some errors in organization; Poem’s form* is  for the most part, purposeful	Writer’s voice is somewhat creative; Creates proficient mood/tone	Attempts to use descriptive words to create images. Does not experiment with new or different words.	Theme is somewhat addressed; writing may at times lose focus of overarching theme
2	Writer displays emerging proficiency of author’s craft, while the poem includes few types of literary/poetic devices* which take away from the poem’s central idea	Poem’s central idea is vague and has some errors in organization; Poem’s form* is  unclear	Writer’s voice is rarely recognizable; Unclear mood/tone present	Uses general or ordinary words. Attempts new words with limited success.	Writing often loses focus of overarching theme
1	Writer does not include any literary/poetic devices* in their poem	Both organization and form* are unclear	There is no clear voice, mood or tone	General or ordinary words/limited use of vocabulary.	Theme is irrelevant or not present

*Literary/Poetic Devices – Imagery, figurative language, sensory detail, symbolism, mood and tone
*Form – Poetic form can be either:
Closed – poem follows a specific rhyme scheme, meter, line, or stanza pattern
Open – poem does not follow any predetermined patterns, be it rhyme scheme, meter, line, or stanza
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To see examples of Literary Devices and Terms, Click here.
To get a better understanding of What is Poetry, Click here.