--- title: "Rubric Grader for Teachers: Grade Essays With Any Rubric" description: "Grade a class set against your own rubric. Paste or upload it, check the criteria, and get a score per criterion with evidence and feedback you approve." canonical: https://formswrite.com/rubric-grader last-updated: 2026-10-18 --- Rubric grader # Rubric Grader for Teachers Give Formswrite your rubric and a class set of essays, and it picks a level for every criterion of every essay, quoting the sentences that justify it. You check the rubric once, review each essay's scores and feedback, and approve them before students see anything. [Grade with my rubric](/accounts/signup?source=rubric-grader&returnUrl=%2Fdashboard%2Fgrader%2Fnew)[Need a rubric?](/tools/rubric-generator) - Analytic, holistic, single point - Paste or upload it - You approve every grade Literary analysis, 4 levels Student 14 12 / 16 - Thesis4/4 - Textual evidence3/4 - Analysis2/4 - Organization3/4 Evidence for Analysis “The green light keeps coming back, and every time Gatsby is further from it.” GlowYou chose a strong recurring image to follow. GrowSay what the distance means, not only that it grows. Hidden from the student until you approveApprove ## From your rubric to graded essays 1. Pip ### Bring the rubric Paste it or upload the Word or PDF file you already hand out. [Try it free Bring the rubric](/accounts/signup?source=rubric-grader&returnUrl=%2Fdashboard%2Fgrader%2Fnew) 2. Nova ### Check the structure The AI turns it into criteria, levels, points and descriptors. Fix anything it misread, then save it. [Try it free Check the structure](/accounts/signup?source=rubric-grader&returnUrl=%2Fdashboard%2Fgrader%2Fnew) 3. Momo ### Add the essays Pasted text, Word, text or PDF files, or Google Docs links, one per student. [Try it free Add the essays](/accounts/signup?source=rubric-grader&returnUrl=%2Fdashboard%2Fgrader%2Fnew) 4. Kiki ### Review and approve Every criterion shows a level, points, quoted evidence and a reason. Edit, regrade one criterion, approve. [Try it free Review and approve](/accounts/signup?source=rubric-grader&returnUrl=%2Fdashboard%2Fgrader%2Fnew) ## What a gradeable rubric looks like An analytic rubric the grader can apply the same way to every essay. Argumentative essay, grades 9 to 10 (sample, 16 points) | Criterion | Points | What earns it | | --- | --- | --- | | Claim | 1-4 | 4: a precise, arguable claim that the whole essay defends. 2: a claim that is broad or only partly arguable. | | Evidence | 1-4 | 4: two or more specific, relevant pieces of evidence for each reason, with sources. 2: evidence that is general or loosely related. | | Reasoning | 1-4 | 4: explains how each piece of evidence supports the claim and answers a counterclaim. 2: evidence is listed with little explanation. | | Conventions | 1-4 | 4: errors are rare and never get in the way of meaning. 2: errors sometimes make sentences hard to follow. | | Total: 16 points | | | ### Descriptors that grade well Does not earn it - > “Excellent use of evidence.” Names a quality without describing it, so two graders (or a grader and the AI) can disagree. - > “Good organization and flow.” Two ideas in one descriptor, and neither is observable. Earns the point - > “Uses two or more specific, relevant pieces of evidence for each reason.” Countable and checkable in the text. - > “Each paragraph opens with a reason that supports the claim.” Describes what the reader will actually find. ## Analytic, holistic or single point: how each one is graded **Analytic rubrics** give a separate level for each criterion, which is what an AI grader handles best: each row is judged on its own, so a strong thesis does not inflate the evidence score. **Holistic rubrics** give one overall score; the grader picks the level whose description fits the essay as a whole and explains which features decided it. **Single point rubrics** describe only the proficient level, and the grader drafts the “evidence of exceeding” and “areas for growth” comments that take teachers the longest. Our guide to [holistic vs analytic rubrics](/blog/holistic-vs-analytic-rubric) covers when to use each, and the [one point (single point) rubric](/rubrics/one-point-rubric) has a ready example. ## Using official rubrics For AP essays you do not need to type anything: the [rubric library](/rubrics) includes the College Board rows for the [DBQ](/rubrics/dbq-rubric), [LEQ](/rubrics/leq-rubric), [AP Lang](/rubrics/ap-lang-rubric) and [AP Lit](/rubrics/ap-lit-rubric) essays, each explained with examples and linked to its official source, and each with a link that opens the grader with that rubric loaded. ## When the grader and you disagree Read the quoted evidence first. If the grader read the essay correctly but applied the level differently than you would, the descriptor is usually ambiguous: tighten its wording and regrade that criterion for the class. If it misread the essay, change the score: the student only ever sees the grade you approve. Then mark a few essays you graded as examples: calibration uses them as anchors, shows how often the grader matches you within 1 point and whether it runs stricter or more generous on each criterion, and can regrade the rest of the class with your grading. ## What it costs Start free with 30 essays a month. Pro is $19 a month or $49.99 a year (about $4.17 a month). - ### Free $0 No credit card - 30 graded essays a month - Typed, uploaded or handwritten essays, or imports from Google Classroom and Google Forms - Every rubric in the library, plus your own - Review and approve before students see anything [Start grading free](/accounts/signup?source=rubric-grader-plans&returnUrl=%2Fdashboard%2Fgrader%2Fnew) - ### Pro $49.99 /year or $19 /month. Cancel or pause anytime. - Up to 400 essays a month (fair use) - Everything in Free: the same grader, rubrics and exports - Room for every class you teach, all year - All Formswrite Pro features, from quizzes to Google Forms export [See Pro plans](/pricing) ## Rubrics and grading - [Rubric GeneratorNo rubric yet? Draft one for any assignment in a minute.](/tools/rubric-generator) - [Rubric libraryAP history, Lang and Lit rubrics explained, ready to grade with.](/rubrics) - [AI Essay GraderThe full grader: inputs, review screen, exports and insights.](/ai-essay-grader) - [Holistic vs analytic rubricsWhich type to use, with examples of each.](/blog/holistic-vs-analytic-rubric) ## Rubric grader FAQ What is a rubric grader? A rubric grader scores student work criterion by criterion against a rubric: for each row it picks the level whose descriptor best matches the work and adds up the points. Formswrite does this with AI, shows the evidence behind each level, and leaves the final grade to the teacher. Which kinds of rubrics does it support? Analytic rubrics (several criteria, each with levels and points), holistic rubrics (one overall score with level descriptions) and single point rubrics (one proficient description per criterion, with comments for above and below). Points can be any scale, such as 1 to 4, 0 to 6 or 100-point weights. How do I add my own rubric? Paste the text or upload a Word or PDF file. The AI turns it into criteria, levels, points and descriptors, and you check and edit that structure before grading. Saved rubrics can be reused for every assignment. How do I turn a rubric score into a percentage or grade? Divide the points earned by the points possible and multiply by 100: 14 out of 16 is 87.5 percent. Many teachers then map the percentage to their letter scale. Be careful with 4-level rubrics: a straight conversion makes a 2 out of 4 (developing) a failing 50 percent, so some schools use a conversion table instead. The grader exports raw points per criterion so you can apply your own policy. What makes a rubric work well with AI grading? Observable descriptors. "Cites two or more specific, relevant pieces of evidence" grades consistently; "excellent use of evidence" does not, because the AI, like a second teacher, has to guess what excellent means. Keep levels distinct, avoid criteria that overlap, and describe what each level looks like rather than only naming it. Is the rubric grader free? Yes, for 30 essays a month with no credit card. Pro ($19 a month or $49.99 a year) covers up to about 400 essays a month under fair use. Last reviewed October 18, 2026 by the Formswrite team, against the live product. ## Grade the next class set with your rubric Bring the rubric you already use. 30 essays a month are free. [Grade with my rubric](/accounts/signup?source=rubric-grader&returnUrl=%2Fdashboard%2Fgrader%2Fnew)[See pricing](/pricing)