Grade 7 ESL Grading Rubric: Comparatives & Superlatives — Forms, Spelling, Content, Organization

Learning Objectives

• Form comparatives and superlatives of short adjectives with the correct spelling (-er/-est, -ier/-iest, double consonant).
• Use more/most with longer adjectives.
• Use the irregular forms good, bad and far correctly.
• Compare two things with "than" and one thing in a group with "the … in/of".
• Use (not) as … as to say things are equal or different.
• Write a short comparison paragraph using data from a table.

How to Use This Resource

• Share the rubric with students before the task so they know what success looks like.
• Circle one level per skill for each student; add the points (maximum 16).
• Record scores on the record sheet.

Differentiation

Support: Give a rule card: 1 syllable → -er/-est; 2 syllables ending in y → -ier/-iest; 2+ syllables → more/most. Challenge: Use modifiers: much bigger, a bit cheaper, by far the best. English language learners: Clap syllables to choose -er or more.

Teacher Tips

Use real data your students care about: football players, phones, local places. Two-syllable adjectives are tricky. Many ending in -y take -ier (happier); many others take more (more careful). When unsure, teach "more".

What's Included

• 4 skills × 4 levels (Excellent, Good, Developing, Beginning)
• Task: Writing task: a comparison paragraph of 60–80 words about three places, foods, sports or gadgets, using data or facts.
• Class record sheet
• Score bands: 14–16 = Excellent, 10–13 = Good, 6–9 = Developing, 4–5 = Beginning.

Additional Files

• Grade 7 ESL Grading Rubric: Comparatives & Superlatives (DOCX)

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