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Brochure Rubric Template

A ready-to-use, analytic brochure rubric for Folded informational brochure, tri-fold or bi-fold (print or digital) (Grades 5–12). Score whether the folded panels work as a sequence — the cover earns the open, the inside panels explain the subject in order, and the back panel closes with a next step — not whether every panel got filled. Edit it for your own assignment, print it, download it as a Word file, or share a link with your students.

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The brochure rubric

CriterionExcellent (4)Proficient (3)Developing (2)Beginning (1)
Panel sequence & fold logicEach panel holds one clear topic and the panels build in the order a reader unfolds them — cover, then the inside panels in a logical progression, then the back — with no section split awkwardly across a fold.The panel order makes sense and most panels hold a single topic; one section runs across a fold or appears earlier or later than a reader would expect.Content is spread across the panels but the order does not match how the brochure opens, so the reader has to jump between panels to follow the topic.Text and images are placed wherever they fit, with no relationship between panel position and reading order; some panels are empty while others overflow.
Cover panelThe cover names the subject and gives a specific reason to open it — a question, a claim, or an image tied to the content — without crowding in detail that belongs on the inside panels.The cover clearly names the subject and looks finished, but offers no particular reason to open it beyond the title itself.The cover identifies the subject only vaguely, or it is loaded with body text that repeats what the inside panels already say.The cover is a bare title with no image or design, is left blank, or is indistinguishable from an inside panel.
Accuracy & depth of contentEvery section gives accurate, specific information — facts, figures, examples, or steps — and together the sections cover the subject well enough that a reader learns something without going elsewhere.Sections are accurate and mostly specific; one section stays general or repeats information already given on another panel.Information is broadly correct but thin, amounting to headings followed by a sentence or two of general statements, or one clear factual error appears.Content is mostly filler or copied wording, or it contains several factual errors; a reader would not learn the subject from it.
Text & image inside each panelEvery panel breaks its text with a heading and keeps paragraphs short enough to read in a narrow column, and each image sits next to the text it illustrates with a caption or an obvious connection.Most panels are readable, with headings and short blocks of text; one panel is text-heavy or holds an image whose connection to the surrounding text is unclear.Several panels are solid blocks of text with no headings, or images are used as decoration with no relationship to the content around them.Text runs on without headings or breaks, or the brochure has no images at all where the assignment called for them.
Audience fit & closing informationVocabulary, tone, and level of detail match the stated audience throughout, and the closing panel gives the specific next step a reader needs — where to go, whom to contact, or what to do with the information.The writing fits the audience and a next step is given, but one section slips into terms that audience would not know, or the closing information is incomplete.The brochure is written for a general reader rather than the assigned audience, or the closing panel names a next step only vaguely.Nothing indicates the audience was considered, and the brochure ends without telling the reader what to do or where to learn more.

Four levels — Excellent (4) to Beginning (1). Print this page, or open it in the editor to change the wording, levels, or points.

How to use this rubric

Brochure assignments usually get graded with a flyer or poster rubric, which misses the thing that makes a brochure a brochure: it is read in an order the student chose when they decided what goes on which panel. This rubric grades the fold as a sequence — whether the cover earns the open, whether the inside panels progress instead of repeating each other, and whether the back panel closes with something a reader can act on — alongside the depth and accuracy the extra space is supposed to buy.

Why these criteria

Each row targets something the assignment is really teaching, with descriptors written to be observable rather than vague:

Panel sequence & fold logic
A brochure is read by unfolding it, not by scanning one surface — this row checks whether the panels were planned in the order a reader actually opens them, rather than treated as six unrelated boxes.
Cover panel
The cover is the only panel a reader sees before deciding whether to open the brochure at all, so it is graded as its own job rather than folded into general design.
Accuracy & depth of content
A brochure has far more room than a flyer and is expected to explain something, so this row grades whether each section says something substantive and correct instead of restating its own heading.
Text & image inside each panel
Brochure panels are narrow columns, so an unbroken block of text or an image dropped in with no connection to the words beside it is a problem specific to this format, not a matter of taste.
Audience fit & closing information
The back panel is where a reader looks for what to do next, and a brochure pitched at the wrong reading level for its stated audience fails even when every fact in it is correct.

How to adapt it

Frequently asked questions

How is a brochure rubric different from a flyer rubric?
A flyer is one surface read at a glance, so a flyer rubric weights instant clarity and visual hierarchy. A brochure is revealed panel by panel, so the questions are different: does the cover earn the open, do the inside panels progress in the order the reader unfolds them, and does the back panel close with a next step. If your assignment is a single unfolded page, use the Flyer Rubric instead.
Does the brochure have to be tri-fold?
No. The rows work for a bi-fold, tri-fold, or gatefold — 'Panel sequence & fold logic' grades whether the content was planned around however many panels the fold produces, not around three specifically. State the required fold and panel count in the assignment so students are not guessing.
Does it matter whether students use Canva or make it by hand?
This rubric grades the finished brochure, not the tool, so a hand-drawn brochure and a Canva one are scored on the same rows. If craftsmanship is part of your assignment goal, add a row for it rather than penalizing a design tool inside 'Text & image inside each panel' — otherwise a neat template will outscore better thinking.
What if students are making a brochure about a real organization or place?
Add a short source list on the back panel and grade it in 'Accuracy & depth of content' — a brochure states claims as settled fact to its reader, so anything about a real place, program, or organization should be traceable to somewhere the student can name.

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