Rubric Maker — Build, Score and Print a Rubric

A free rubric maker for teachers: build, score and print

This rubric maker builds an analytic rubric: a grid with your criteria down the side, performance levels across the top and a description in every cell. Start from an essay, oral presentation or science lab report template, or from a blank grid, then rename the criteria, rewrite the descriptors and set the points for each level. The sheet is drawn live and can be printed, saved as a PDF or exported as a PNG.

It is also a scorer. Pick the level a student reached on each criterion and the page adds up the points, applies any weights and shows the total and percentage, ready to copy into your mark book. A rubric generator that does both jobs saves retyping the same grid in a spreadsheet. Everything stays in your browser and nothing is uploaded.

How to use the Rubric Maker

1. Choose a template under “Start from”, or keep the essay rubric, and set the title and the number of levels (3, 4 or 5).
2. Edit the level names and points in the header row, then each criterion’s name, weight and descriptors.
3. Use “Add criterion” for more rows and “Remove” to drop one. “Copy rubric as text” gives a plain-text version.
4. Under “Score a student”, choose the level reached on each criterion to see the total and percentage.
5. Pick paper size and orientation, tick the score column and name line if you want them, then press Print rubric, Download PDF or Download PNG.

Rubric Maker features

How the rubric score is worked out

Each criterion scores the points of the level you choose, multiplied by its weight. The maximum is the top level’s points times the sum of the weights. With four equal criteria and levels worth 4, 3, 2 and 1, a Proficient on all four is 12 out of 16, or 75%. Give the first criterion a weight of 2 and the same picks become 15 out of 20, also 75%, but a strong result on that criterion now matters more.

To turn the percentage into a letter grade on your school’s scale, use the percentage to grade calculator; to combine several assignments, the grade calculator weights them for you.

Writing good descriptors

Strong rubrics describe what the work shows, not how the student compares with others, and the wording changes only as much as the quality does.

• Write the top level first, then describe each lower level by what is missing or weaker.
• Use observable words (“cites two sources”, “states a testable hypothesis”) instead of “good” or “poor”.
• Keep every cell about the same length and avoid mixing two skills in one criterion.
• Share the rubric with students before they start, so it works as a guide and not only as a verdict.

Analytic or holistic?

This tool makes analytic rubrics, which score each criterion separately and give detailed feedback. A holistic rubric gives one overall score from a single description. To get a holistic feel, use one criterion called “Overall quality”.