This rubric is designed for use by all subjects where essay writing skills are required. It can be used for self assessment, or as a quick diagnostic tool for a teacher to evaluate strengths and weaknesses and help students to identify personal targets for improvement. The rubric is linked with the new GCSE grading structure to map progression from Age 11 to 16. The rubric also allows for subjects to compare performance of a student in a cross curricular manner, and therefore to ensure a cohesive and consistent approach in terms of assessment and feedback.

This document contains some helpful advice to support students and parents with employing techniques that are both effective and simple. The second page comprises a questionnaire which is aimed at helping students to self-evaluate in respect of the effectiveness of their current study habits, and to identify the key strategies that can be easily used and that can make a tangible difference to examination outcomes.