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Letter Writing Rubric Template

A ready-to-use, analytic letter writing rubric for Friendly or formal letter written to a real or named recipient (a pen pal, an author, a local official, a business) (Grades 2–8). Score whether the letter is set out so it could actually be sent, makes clear why it was written, fits the person it is written to, and gives that person enough to respond. 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 letter writing rubric

CriterionExcellent (4)Proficient (3)Developing (2)Beginning (1)
Letter formatIncludes every required part in the right place: date (and addresses for a formal letter), greeting followed by a comma or colon, body in paragraphs, closing followed by a comma, and signature.Includes every required part, but one is in the wrong place or missing its punctuation (no comma after the greeting, closing on the same line as the body).Missing one or two required parts (no date, no closing), or the body is one unbroken block with no paragraphs.Does not look like a letter: no greeting or signature, or written as a list or a story.
Clear purposeThe first paragraph states why the student is writing (to thank, ask, invite, complain, or share news), and every later paragraph supports that reason.The purpose is stated, but not until the middle or end, or one paragraph wanders to an unrelated topic.The purpose can be guessed, but is never stated, and the letter reads as a list of unconnected things.A reader could not say why the letter was written.
Audience & toneWord choice, greeting, and closing all fit the recipient (casual and warm for a friend; polite and complete sentences with 'Dear Ms./Mr.' and 'Sincerely' for a formal letter), and the letter mentions something specific to that person.The tone fits the recipient overall, but one or two places slip (slang in a formal letter, a stiff closing in a friendly one).The tone does not match the recipient in several places, or the letter could have been sent to anyone because nothing in it refers to this reader.The tone is inappropriate for the reader (rude, demanding, or in text-message shorthand throughout).
Details & reason to replyIncludes at least three specific details (names, events, reasons, examples) that support the purpose, and ends with a question or request that invites a reply or action.Includes specific details, but fewer than three, or asks a question only loosely related to the purpose.Details are general ('school is fun', 'your book is good') and no question or request is included.The body is one or two sentences with no details the reader could respond to.
ConventionsCapitalizes the greeting, closing, names, and sentence starts correctly, with no more than one spelling or punctuation error in the whole letter.Has two to four errors in spelling, capitals, or punctuation, but none that make a sentence hard to understand.Has frequent errors (five or more), and at least one sentence has to be reread to understand it.Errors make much of the letter hard to read.

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

A letter writing assignment practices one thing most writing assignments do not: writing to a specific person who will read it and might write back. This rubric scores friendly and formal letters on five rows a teacher can check line by line: whether all the parts of a letter are there and in place, whether the reason for writing is clear early, whether the words fit the person reading, whether there are enough specific details for the reader to reply to, and whether capitals, spelling, and punctuation are clean enough to send.

Why these criteria

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

Letter format
Format is what makes a page of writing a letter. Each part (date, greeting, body, closing, signature) has a job, and the parts are easy to check one by one.
Clear purpose
The reader should know in the first few lines why they are getting this letter. Letters that save the point for the end are often put down before the end.
Audience & tone
A letter to a grandparent and a letter to a mayor need different words. Matching tone to the reader is the skill this assignment exists to practice.
Details & reason to reply
Letters are one half of a conversation. Specific details give the reader something real to respond to, and a question or request tells them what to write back about.
Conventions
A letter goes to a real reader, so errors carry more weight than in a draft only the teacher sees. Capitals and punctuation in the greeting and closing are part of letter form.

How to adapt it

Frequently asked questions

Can I use one rubric for both friendly and formal letters?
Yes. The five rows are the same; what changes is the expected form and tone. For a friendly letter, 'Audience & tone' expects a warm, casual voice. For a formal letter, it expects polite complete sentences and a formal greeting and closing, and 'Letter format' expects addresses. The second modify tip lists the formal-letter changes.
What are the five parts of a friendly letter?
Heading (usually just the date), greeting ('Dear Maya,'), body, closing ('Your friend,'), and signature. A formal letter adds the sender's address at the top and the recipient's name and address above the greeting. 'Letter format' checks each of these.
Is this rubric for cover letters?
No. A cover letter is a job-application document that argues for a match between a person and a specific position, and it is graded differently. For job-application writing, the Resume Rubric is a closer fit. This rubric is for friendly letters, thank-you notes, and formal letters of request, invitation, or opinion, mostly in the elementary and middle grades.
Should handwriting count?
It is not a row here, because it is a separate skill from writing a letter. If the letter will be handwritten and sent, add neatness to 'Conventions' as a condition for sending (the recipient must be able to read it), rather than as its own score.

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