Below is an example of the scoring rubric for the 500 word listening comparisons.
| Dimension | Sophisticated | Good Work | Competant | Needs improvement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engagement with the music (50) | Actively engages with the music; attempts to understand the basic underpinnings of the pieces; examines musical relationships between the pieces in a sophisticated manner. (45-50) | Engages with the music, but the focus is disproportionately on one piece. Does a good job at examining the similarities & differences in the approaches of each piece. (35-44) | Discusses the music adequately, but could focus more on this area; focuses on superficial musical elements; comparison needs to discuss the relationship (or lack thereof) between the pieces in more depth. (20-34) | Description is vague, unclear that there was more than a passive engagement with the music. The comparison between the works fails to go beyond basic historical facts. (0-19) |
| Historical Context (30) | Shows a sophisticated understanding of the relevant culture, genre, and topic. (25-30) | Shows a decent understanding of the relevant culture, genre, and topic, but it could be improved. (20-24) | Shows a slightly uneven understanding of the relevant culture, genre, and topic, and it is clear that there are a few misconceptions. (10-19) | Does not provide context for the music; it his clear that there exist many misunderstandings about the topic. (0-9) |
| Writing (20) | Coherently organized and has a natural flow and logic. There are no grammatical or spelling mistakes, and the writing is clear and persuasive. (15-20) | Paper is well organized overall, and the argument is easy to follow. There are only a few minor spelling or grammatical errors; writing is clear but the structure and logic could use a bit of improvement.(10-14) | Only a few spelling or grammatical errors, but the logic is difficult to follow. The overall argument could be improved. (5-9) | Contains a number of spelling and grammatical errors; the argument needs work; the logic is very difficult to follow. (0-4) |