This free rubric maker builds a complete grading rubric in about a minute. Pick the assignment type, choose your criteria and the number of levels, and you get a full table with ready-written descriptors and points that add up. Click any text to change it, score a student right on the page, and copy the finished rubric into Google Docs or Word.
It covers essays, research papers, presentations, lab reports, group projects, posters, math problem solving, reading responses and class discussions, with 39 criteria to choose from, and you can add your own.
Free rubric maker
Build a grading rubric in minutes
Pick the assignment, the criteria and how many levels you want. You get a full rubric with ready-written descriptors and points that add up. Click any text to edit it, score a student right on the page, and copy the table into Google Docs or Word.
Criteria (click to add or remove)
Unlock the printable view and 10 ready rubrics
Print or save a clean, PDF-style copy with name, date and score lines, and load ten finished rubrics for essays, lab reports, presentations, group work and more.
Unlocked: the printable view and the ready rubrics are just below. You are also on the weekly HOW TO // AI newsletter.
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Ready rubrics and printing
The printable view uses landscape pages and adds lines for the student's name, the date and a score for each criterion. In the print dialog, choose "Save as PDF" to keep a file.
How points work: each criterion's points go to the top level, and each lower level earns a share of them, rounded to the nearest half point (the exact formula is shown above the box). The descriptors were written by HOW TO // AI for this tool; edit them to match your standards and your students. Nothing you type is uploaded or saved.
How to use the rubric maker
- Choose the assignment type. The most common criteria for it are added for you.
- Pick 3, 4 or 5 levels and the points for each criterion. Change a single row’s points to give it more weight.
- Tap criteria to add or remove them, or type your own and click Add criterion.
- Click any descriptor, level name or criterion name to edit it.
- Copy the table into Google Docs or Word, or tick Score a student to mark the rubric and see the total and percentage.
How the points are calculated
Each criterion’s points go to the top level, and each lower level earns a share based on its position. In plain words: points for a level = the criterion’s points x (the level’s number, counting up from 1 at the bottom) / the number of levels, rounded to the nearest half point.
| Setup | Top level | Next | Next | Next | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 levels, 3 points | 3 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 4 levels, 4 points | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| 4 levels, 20 points | 20 | 15 | 10 | 5 | |
| 5 levels, 5 points | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Prefer the lowest level to earn nothing? Tick “Lowest level earns 0 points” and the shares run from full points down to zero. The rubric maker shows the formula it is using right under the table.
What makes a good rubric
- Criteria that match the learning goal. If the goal is argument, weight evidence and reasoning more than formatting.
- Descriptors that describe the work, not the student. “Uses relevant evidence that supports the claim” is clearer and fairer than “tries hard.”
- Levels students can tell apart. Each step down should change one thing a student can see and fix.
- The right number of levels. Four works for most classroom work because there is no safe middle score. Use three for quick checks and five when you need finer detail.
- Shared before the work starts. A rubric is most useful when students can plan with it and check their own work against it.
Analytic vs. holistic rubrics
An analytic rubric, like the ones this tool makes, scores each criterion separately and adds them up, so students get specific feedback on each part. A holistic rubric gives one overall score with a single description per level. It is faster to use but tells students less about what to fix, so for work students will revise, an analytic rubric is usually the more useful choice.
Making practice materials too? Paste your notes into our free AI quiz generator for multiple-choice questions with explanations.
Related on HOW TO // AI
- Free AI tools: more free calculators, checkers and generators.
- AI quiz generator: turn notes or a PDF into practice questions.
- AI summarizer: turn long readings and reports into short briefs.
- AI prompt improver: get better results when you ask ChatGPT or Claude for class materials.
Frequently asked questions
What is a rubric?
A rubric is a scoring guide that lists the criteria for an assignment and describes what work looks like at each level of quality, with points for each level. It helps teachers grade consistently and shows students what good work looks like.
How many levels should a rubric have?
Most classroom rubrics use 3 to 5 levels. Four is common because it avoids a middle score, three works for quick checks, and five adds finer detail. This rubric maker supports all three.
How do you calculate a grade from a rubric?
Add the points for the level the student reached on each criterion, then divide by the total points possible to get a percentage. Turn on Score a student in the rubric maker and it does the math as you click.
Can I print the rubric or save it as a PDF?
Copy the table into Google Docs or Word and print it from there. For a ready printable version with name, date and score lines, unlock the printable view with your email address, then choose Save as PDF in the print dialog.
Is the rubric maker free?
Yes. Building, editing, scoring and copying rubrics is free with no sign-up, and nothing you type is uploaded or saved.