Use this rubric when students are writing a narrative, real or imagined. It is designed for assignments where students need to establish a situation, develop characters or point of view, organize events, use narrative techniques, and provide a clear ending.
This page offers an example rubric for Grades 6-8 narrative writing. It focuses on common features teachers often look for in this kind of writing: situation, sequence, narrative techniques, detail, pacing, ending, and language control. You can use it as a starting point, adapt it to your curriculum, or use it as a model when building your own rubric.
TA39 drafts from the rubric you choose; you review, adapt, and decide what fits your assignment.
At a Glance
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Level | Grades 6-8 / Years 7-9 equivalent, depending on system |
| Subject Area | English / Language Arts, or equivalent |
| Writing Type | Narrative Writing |
| Task Type | Narrative response / story / real or imagined experience |
| Useful For | narrative writing, creative responses, story-based assignments |
| Reference Example | Smarter Balanced Narrative Performance Task Writing Rubric |
| Optional Reference Codes | US Common Core / California Common Core codes are included below as one example of how this writing task can be mapped to standards |
| Scoring Scale | 4-level analytic rubric, 28 points total |
What This Rubric Covers
This rubric focuses on the writing moves students need for narrative response / story / real or imagined experience:
- Establishing a situation, setting, characters, or point of view
- Organizing events in a clear sequence
- Using narrative techniques such as dialogue, description, or pacing
- Adding relevant details and description
- Using transitions to guide the reader
- Writing an ending that gives closure
- Using accurate grammar, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure
Download
For easier reuse, the rubric grid and performance conversion are packaged as a separate Markdown file inside this zip:
Rubric
Score: ___ / 28
| Criteria | 4 - Exceeds Expectations | 3 - Meets Expectations | 2 - Approaching Expectations | 1 - Not Yet Meeting Expectations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Situation, Setting, and Characters (Optional US refs: W.6.3, W.7.3, W.8.3) | Establishes the situation, setting, characters, and point of view clearly. | Establishes the situation, setting, characters, and point of view adequately. | Establishes some narrative elements, but they may be uneven or underdeveloped. | Provides little or no clear situation, setting, characters, or point of view. |
Organization and Sequence (Optional US refs: W.6.3, W.7.3, W.8.3, W.6.4, W.7.4, W.8.4) | Organizes events in a natural sequence from beginning to end. | Organizes events in a clear sequence. | Sequence is uneven or sometimes confusing. | Events are difficult to follow or appear randomly ordered. |
Narrative Techniques (Optional US refs: W.6.3, W.7.3, W.8.3) | Uses dialogue, description, pacing, or other narrative techniques to develop the experience. | Uses narrative techniques to support the story or experience. | Uses narrative techniques unevenly or in limited ways. | Uses few or no relevant narrative techniques. |
Description and Detail (Optional US refs: W.6.3, W.7.3, W.8.3) | Uses relevant details, sensory language, and precise description to develop events and characters. | Uses details and description to develop events and characters. | Details are limited, general, or unevenly connected to the narrative. | Provides little relevant detail or description. |
Transitions and Pacing (Optional US refs: W.6.3, W.7.3, W.8.3) | Uses transitions and pacing to guide the reader through shifts in time, place, or events. | Uses transitions and pacing to help the story move clearly. | Transitions or pacing may be uneven or confusing. | Few transitions are used; pacing makes the narrative difficult to follow. |
Ending / Closure (Optional US refs: W.6.3, W.7.3, W.8.3) | Provides an ending that follows from the narrative and gives a sense of closure. | Provides an ending that connects to the narrative. | Attempts an ending, but it may be weak or only loosely connected. | Ending is missing or unrelated. |
Language Accuracy (Optional US refs: L.6.1, L.7.1, L.8.1, L.6.2, L.7.2, L.8.2) | Demonstrates strong control of grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and sentence structure. Errors are rare and do not interfere with meaning. | Demonstrates adequate control of language accuracy. Errors do not interfere with meaning. | Demonstrates partial control of language accuracy. Errors sometimes interfere with meaning. | Frequent errors interfere with understanding. |
Performance Conversion
| Raw Score | Performance Level |
|---|---|
| 25-28 | 4 - Exceeds Expectations |
| 19-24 | 3 - Meets Expectations |
| 12-18 | 2 - Approaching Expectations |
| 11 or below | 1 - Not Yet Meeting Expectations |
Teacher Adaptation Notes
Before using this rubric with students, review it against your assignment, curriculum, and marking expectations.
- If students are writing personal narratives, adjust the source-reference language.
- If the task is a short narrative scene, reduce the number of criteria.
- If dialogue is required, name it directly in the narrative techniques row.
- If language accuracy should be weighted separately, score it as its own category.
Standards and Reference Examples
The rubric above can be adapted for many curricula. The standards listed here are US-specific reference examples, not requirements for using the rubric. They are included for teachers who want to see how this kind of writing task is described in one widely used US framework.
If you work in another curriculum, you can map the same criteria to your own outcomes, such as GCSE, IGCSE, IB MYP, CBSE, Australian Curriculum, Singapore English, UAE standards, or your school-based writing framework.
You can review the US reference standards here:
- California Content Standards: English Language Arts
- Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
| Standard | What It Means for This Rubric |
|---|---|
W.6.3, W.7.3, W.8.3 | Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events. |
W.6.4, W.7.4, W.8.4 | Produce clear writing appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. |
L.6.1, L.7.1, L.8.1 | Demonstrate command of grade-level grammar and usage. |
L.6.2, L.7.2, L.8.2 | Demonstrate command of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. |
Source and Attribution
This example is based on publicly available standards and assessment-reference materials. These links are provided for attribution, teacher context, and further reading:
- Smarter Balanced Narrative Performance Task Writing Rubric
- Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
- California Content Standards: English Language Arts
This example uses Smarter Balanced narrative writing expectations as a reference. TA39 uses only the middle-school portion for this launch set.
Smarter Balanced is cited as an external reference source for assessment target information and related writing expectations. This example is not an official Smarter Balanced rubric and does not imply endorsement by Smarter Balanced, the Regents of the University of California, the California Department of Education, NGA Center, or CCSSO.
The US standards links are included as one example of standards alignment. Teachers using other frameworks can treat these links as optional background and focus on the rubric criteria themselves.
Want to Build a Different Rubric?
You can also use the Smarter Content Explorer to explore a different grade, claim, target, or writing purpose. This can be helpful if you want to see how a large assessment system describes writing expectations.
If you download reference materials from an external site, review that site's terms and copyright notices before reusing or redistributing the content. TA39 can help turn a rubric or reference document into a format you can review and adapt. You still review the criteria, adjust the wording, and decide whether it fits your assignment.