Ideas

This skill includes generating and collecting ideas.  Such tasks as prewriting, observing, making lists, thinking, revising, and working with response groups are involved.

Strong Paper (5)

• The writer seems to be writing from experience and shows a sense of how events unfold

• Supporting, relevant, telling details give important information

• Main ideas stand out

• The topic is controlled by the writer

• Ideas are shaped; connections and insights are shared

Developing Paper (3)

• The reader can see where the writer is headed, but more information is needed to fill in the blanks

• The writer seems to be writing from experience, but has some trouble going from general observations to specifics

• Ideas are reasonably clear, but may not be detailed, personalized, or explicit

• Support does not go far enough, though it is attempted

• Main points tend to be predictable

Weak Paper (1)

• Information is limited or unclear

• Writing is repetitious

• It is more a collection of random thoughts

• The writer may still be in search of a real topic