Last reviewed: 25 October 2026
A rubric is the tool that turns a learner’s work into a fair, explainable judgement. Under the Competency Based Curriculum, teachers are expected to assess continuously and describe what a learner can do rather than only give a mark. A good rubric makes that faster, keeps your judgements consistent across a class, and gives parents a clear picture when they read the report. This guide shows how to build one from scratch, with examples you can adapt.
On this page
- What a CBC rubric is for
- The four performance levels
- Step 1: Start from the learning outcome
- Step 2: Choose two to four criteria
- Step 3: Describe each level in plain words
- Example 1: Grade 5 Mathematics, measuring length
- Example 2: Grade 8 Integrated Science, a simple experiment report
- Step 4: Test the rubric on real work
- Common mistakes
- Saving time
What a CBC rubric is for
CBC places heavy weight on formative assessment: observation, projects, oral work, portfolios and practical tasks, alongside written tests. The Kenya National Examinations Council also uses school-based assessment scores as part of the national assessment picture for KPSEA and KJSEA, as explained on the KNEC website. That means the judgements you record in class matter. A rubric gives each judgement a written standard, so that two teachers looking at the same piece of work would reach the same level.
The four performance levels
Primary and junior school CBC reporting commonly uses four levels:
- Exceeding Expectations (EE): the learner does the task fully and goes beyond, for example explaining reasoning or applying the skill in a new situation.
- Meeting Expectations (ME): the learner does the task correctly and independently.
- Approaching Expectations (AE): the learner does part of the task or needs some help.
- Below Expectations (BE): the learner cannot yet do the task, even with support.
Junior school reports now often split these into finer sub-levels with points (for example EE1 and EE2). Check the current guidance your school has received, and see our guide to CBC report cards and SBA for how levels feed into reports.
Step 1: Start from the learning outcome
Open the curriculum design for your grade and learning area on the KICD website and copy the specific learning outcome you are assessing. Do not write a rubric for a whole strand. One rubric should match one task and one to three outcomes. If the outcome says “measure length in metres and centimetres”, your rubric is about measuring accurately, not about neat handwriting.
Step 2: Choose two to four criteria
Criteria are the things you will look at. For a practical task, typical criteria are accuracy, method, use of tools and communication of results. More than four criteria makes the rubric slow to use in a class of 40 or more. Each criterion should be observable: you can see it or hear it.
Step 3: Describe each level in plain words
Write what the work looks like at each level, starting with Meeting Expectations, because that describes the outcome itself. Then describe what extra makes it Exceeding, and what is missing at Approaching and Below. Avoid vague words like “good” or “poor”. Use counts and actions instead: “measures all five objects correctly to the nearest centimetre” is far more useful than “measures well”.
Example 1: Grade 5 Mathematics, measuring length
- EE: Measures all five objects correctly, converts between metres and centimetres without help, and explains why a ruler must start at zero.
- ME: Measures at least four of five objects correctly and records units.
- AE: Measures two or three objects correctly, or forgets units.
- BE: Measures fewer than two correctly even after a demonstration.
Example 2: Grade 8 Integrated Science, a simple experiment report
- Method: ME if the steps are listed in order and could be repeated; EE if the learner also names the variable kept constant.
- Results: ME if readings are recorded in a table with units; AE if readings are present but disorganised.
- Conclusion: ME if the conclusion matches the results; EE if the learner suggests one improvement to the experiment.
Step 4: Test the rubric on real work
Before using it for records, mark five scripts with it, then ask a colleague to mark the same five. Where you disagree, the level descriptions are not clear enough, so rewrite them. This quick moderation step is what makes school-based scores trustworthy.
Common mistakes
- Mixing behaviour (neatness, punctuality) into a subject rubric. Record values and attitudes separately.
- Writing levels that only differ by an adjective, such as “very good” versus “good”.
- Making the rubric after marking. Share it with learners before the task so they know the target.
Saving time
Keep a folder of rubrics per strand and reuse them each year with small edits. Pair them with the comment bank in our report card comments guide so a level and a comment go onto the report together. More teacher tools are collected on our teachers page.