Give me a essay outline i can use to easily score full points on the essay:
Prompt:
FREE-RESPONSE QUESTION 1: SYNTHESIS
Free-response question 1 presents students with six to seven sources organized
around a specific topic. Two of the provided sources are visual, including at least one
quantitative source. The remaining sources are text-based excerpts containing about
500 words per source. Students are asked to write an essay that synthesizes material
from at least three of the provided sources and develops their own position on the
topic. This question assesses students’ ability to do the following:
§ Respond to the prompt with a thesis that may establish a line of reasoning.
§ Provide evidence from at least three of the provided sources to support the
thesis. Indicate clearly the sources used through direct quotation, paraphrase,
or summary. Sources may be cited as Source A, Source B, etc., or by using the
description in parentheses.
§ Explain the relationship between the evidence and the thesis.
§ Demonstrate an understanding of the rhetorical situation.
§ Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating the argument.
All Synthesis essay questions will be worded in a similar way. A sample question and
the stable prompt wording are provided below.
Sample Question
Eminent domain is the power governments have to acquire property from private
owners for public use. The rationale behind eminent domain is that governments
have greater legal authority over lands within their dominion than do private owners.
Eminent domain has been instituted in one way or another throughout the world for
hundreds of years.
Carefully read the following six sources, including the introductory information for each
source. Write an essay that synthesizes material from at least three of the sources and
develops your position on the notion that eminent domain is productive and beneficial.
Stable Prompt Wording
The text in italics will vary by question, while the remainder of the prompt will be
consistently used in all Synthesis essay questions.
[Subject introduction].
Carefully read the following six sources, including the introductory information for
each source.
Write an essay that synthesizes material from at least three of the sources and
develops your position on [specific subject from the introduction].
Rubric:
Reporting
Category Scoring Criteria
Row A
Thesis
(0-1 points)
0 points
For any of the following:
• There is no defensible thesis.
• The intended thesis only restates the prompt.
• The intended thesis provides a summary of the issue with no apparent
or coherent claim.
• There is a thesis, but it does not respond to the prompt.
1 point
Responds to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible position.
Decision Rules and Scoring Notes
Responses that do not earn this point:
• Only restate the prompt.
• Do not take a position, or the position must be inferred or is vague.
• Equivocate or summarize other’s arguments but not the student’s (e.g.,
some people say it’s good, some people say it’s bad).
• State an obvious fact rather than making a claim that requires a defense.
Responses that earn this point:
• Respond to the prompt by developing a position on the role that public libraries should
serve in the future, rather than restate or rephrase the prompt. Clearly takes a position
rather than just stating there are pros/cons.
Examples that do not earn this point:
Restate the prompt
• “Some people question whether libraries can stay relevant, others say
there are new possibilities for them.”
Addresses the topic of the prompt, but do not take a position
• “Maybe libraries will become collaborative environments with more newer
technologies; maybe they will disappear as people become more rely more
on their phones.”
• “Libraries are the places that spark the educational fire in individuals,
which is crazy to think there might be an end to them.”
Address the topic of the prompt but is state an obvious fact as a claim
• “Libraries been around for hundreds of years.”
Examples that earn this point:
Present a defensible position that responds to the prompt
• “Libraries will only benefit and develop our society greatly in the long run.” [Minimally
acceptable thesis]
• “Although some may believe that libraries are no longer necessary, they are essential to
the success of the US democratic system.”
• “In the future, public libraries should be upkept with love and embrace other cultures and
languages in the regional community.”
• “Given that no person alive today has ever known a world without public libraries,
discontinuity them would do a diservice to many, and hinder the education of all those
that rely on them.”
• “Tradition is being pushed aside in a technology-based world. However due to the
educational benefits and the comfort libraries provide when in need and the historical
implications, it is essential to society to keep these public reading spaces alive.”
• “Libraries serve vital roles in society: they hold historical significance and teach people
how to properly engage with civics, they help build and reinforce communities, and
libraries provide resources for the less fortunate. All in all, libraries should be funded and
should continue to serve these roles in the future.”
Additional Notes:
• The thesis may be more than one sentence, provided the sentences are in close proximity.
• The thesis may be anywhere within the response.
• For a thesis to be defensible, the sources must include at least minimal evidence that could be used to support that thesis; however, the student need not cite that evidence
to earn the thesis point.
• The thesis may establish a line of reasoning that structures the essay, but it needn’t do so to earn the thesis point.
• A thesis that meets the criteria can be awarded the point whether or not the rest of the response successfully supports that line of reasoning.
Reporting
Category Scoring Criteria
Row B
Evidence
AND
Commentary
(0-4 points)
0 points
Simply restates thesis (if
present), repeats provided
information, or references
fewer than two of the
provided sources.
1 point
EVIDENCE:
Provides evidence from or
references at least two of
the provided sources.
AND
COMMENTARY:
Summarizes the evidence
but does not explain how
the evidence supports the
student’s argument.
2 points
EVIDENCE:
Provides evidence from or
references at least three of the
provided sources.
AND
COMMENTARY:
Explains how some of the
evidence relates to the
student’s argument, but no
line of reasoning is established,
or the line of reasoning is
faulty.
3 points
EVIDENCE:
Provides specific evidence
from at least three of the
provided sources to support
all claims in a line of
reasoning.
AND
COMMENTARY:
Explains how some of the
evidence supports a line of
reasoning.
4 points
EVIDENCE:
Provides specific evidence from
at least three of the provided
sources to support all claims in a
line of reasoning.
AND
COMMENTARY:
Consistently explains how the
evidence supports a line of
reasoning.
Decision Rules and Scoring Notes
Typical responses that earn
0 points:
• Are incoherent or do not
address the prompt.
• May be just opinion with
no textual references or
references that are
irrelevant.
Typical responses that earn
1 point:
• Tend to focus on
summary or description
of sources rather than
specific details.
Typical responses that earn
2 points:
• Consist of a mix of specific
evidence and broad
generalities.
• May contain some
simplistic, inaccurate, or
repetitive explanations that
don’t strengthen the
argument.
• May make one point well
but either do not make
multiple supporting claims
or do not adequately
support more than one
claim.
• Do not explain the
connections or progression
between the student’s
claims, so a line of
reasoning is not clearly
established.
Typical responses that earn
3 points:
• Uniformly offer evidence
to support claims.
• Focus on the importance
of specific words and
details from the sources
to build an argument.
• Organize an argument as
a line of reasoning
composed of multiple
supporting claims.
• Commentary may fail to
integrate some evidence
or fail to support a key
claim.
Typical responses that earn
4 points:
• Uniformly offer evidence to
support claims.
• Focus on the importance of
specific words and details
from the sources to build an
argument.
• Organize and support an
argument as a line of
reasoning composed of
multiple supporting claims,
each with adequate evidence
that is clearly explained.
Additional Notes:
• Writing that suffers from grammatical and/or mechanical errors that interfere with communication cannot earn the fourth point in this row.
Reporting
Category Scoring Criteria
Row C
Sophistication
(0-1 points)
0 points
Does not meet the criteria for one point.
1 point
Demonstrates sophistication of thought and/or a complex understanding of the
rhetorical situation.
Decision Rules and Scoring Notes
Responses that do not earn this point:
• Attempt to contextualize their argument, but such attempts consist
predominantly of sweeping generalizations (“In a world where…” OR
“Since the beginning of time…”).
• Only hint at or suggest other arguments (“While some may argue
that… OR “Some people say…”).
• Use complicated or complex sentences or language that is ineffective
because it does not enhance the argument.
Responses that earn this point may demonstrate sophistication of thought and/or a
complex understanding of the rhetorical situation by doing any of the following:
1. Crafting a nuanced argument by consistently identifying and exploring complexities or
tensions across the sources.
2. Articulating the implications or limitations of an argument (either the student’s
argument or arguments conveyed in the sources) by situating it within a broader
context.
3. Making effective rhetorical choices that consistently strengthen the force and impact
of the student’s argument.
4. Employing a style that is consistently vivid and persuasive.
Additional Notes:
• This point should be awarded only if the sophistication of thought or complex understanding is part of the student’s argument, not merely a phrase or reference