In a mixed-ability English class, a single essay prompt on The Bell Jar can be too hard for some students and too easy for others. The same question that stretches one student may leave another with nothing to say, or leave a third bored. Differentiated prompts address this, but they raise a fair concern: how do you grade them consistently?

The answer is to keep the rubric constant and change the task. The criteria, such as claim, evidence, analysis, and organization, apply to every level, but the prompts ask for different amounts of complexity. Students are graded on the same skills, at the level of challenge they can reach.

This approach also avoids the trap of lowering standards for some students. Everyone is asked to make a claim, support it, and explain it. What changes is how much the prompt supplies and how much the student must build on their own.

Below are three tiers of prompts on the same theme, with notes on how the scoring stays fair.

Three Tiers of Prompts on One Theme

All three prompts below focus on how Esther experiences pressure to follow a set path. The first supplies more structure, the second leaves more open, and the third asks for a more complex argument. Any student could be assigned any tier, based on your read of readiness or on student choice.

• Supported: Choose two scenes where Esther feels pressure to follow a set path and explain what each shows about her feelings
• Standard: How does Plath use imagery to show the effect of pressure on Esther's sense of herself?
• Extended: To what extent does the novel suggest that Esther's struggle comes from within her and to what extent from her surroundings?
• Comparative: How does Plath's treatment of pressure compare with that of another narrator you have read?
• Open: Write your own question about a pattern in the novel and answer it with an argument

Keeping Scoring Consistent

Use the same four rubric categories for all tiers, but note in each row what a strong response looks like for that prompt. For the supported prompt, strong analysis might be a clear explanation of each scene. For the extended prompt, it might include weighing evidence for two competing explanations.

Avoid giving different maximum scores to different tiers. Students notice when a prompt is labeled easier, and it can affect motivation. Instead, let the description at the top of the rubric reflect the challenge of the question.

Letting Students Choose

Some teachers assign tiers, and others let students select their own. Choice increases ownership but can lead students to pick the safest option. If you allow choice, meet briefly with students who repeatedly choose the easiest prompt and encourage them to try the next one.

Whichever method you use, keep the deadlines and expectations the same so that the differentiation feels like support, not sorting.

Managing the Grading Load

Multiple prompts can make grading feel harder, since you are reading different arguments at once. A rubric shared across the tiers keeps the process steady, and an AI feedback tool configured with prompt-specific notes can apply the right expectations to each paper.

After the first round, review the results by tier. If one prompt produced consistently weaker essays, the question may need clearer wording rather than students needing more help.