The plot of And Then There Were None is so tightly built that students often feel they have to explain it. They walk through the arrival on the island, the first death, the second, and by page three they have not made a single claim. Teachers see this every year.

It is not laziness. Many students genuinely believe that recounting events is what an essay about a novel looks like. Nobody has shown them the difference between what happens and what it means.

For grading, this creates a real problem. The writing may be clear, the details accurate, and the effort obvious, yet the essay does not do the assigned task. You need a way to score that fairly without punishing the student or pretending it is analysis.

A little structure in your rubric and your comments goes a long way. The goal is to name the gap in language students can act on. The sections below show how.

Name the Difference Between Summary and Analysis

Try one plain test: could someone who has not read the book write this sentence from a plot description? If yes, it is summary. If the sentence explains why an event matters to guilt, fear, or justice, it is analysis.

• Highlight summary sentences in one color and analysis in another as you read
• Count how many sentences in each paragraph make an interpretive claim
• Set a cap on summary, such as no more than a quarter of the essay
• Ask students to add a so what sentence after each piece of evidence
• Keep a model paragraph from a past unit that shows the shift

Write Feedback That Points to the Next Move

A comment like "too much summary" tells a student they failed, not how to fix it. A more useful version is: You explain what Armstrong does here, but not why it matters to the theme of guilt. Add a sentence that connects his choice to your claim.

Pick a single paragraph and show how to turn two summary sentences into one analytical sentence. Students often improve fast once they see a worked example in their own writing. It also shows them the fix is small, not a full rewrite.

Score Fairly When the Essay Is Mostly Summary

Your rubric should let you give credit for what the essay does well, such as accurate details and clear organization, while still scoring analysis low. This keeps the grade honest and the feedback constructive. Separate rows make it possible.

AI grading tools that follow your rubric can flag paragraphs that lean on summary and draft a comment aimed at that specific gap. Tools like GraideMind work this way, and you can rewrite any comment before it goes back to the student. That saves time on the most repetitive feedback in the stack.

Prevent the Problem in Future Assignments

Prompts shape essays. Instead of asking students to discuss the character of Judge Wargrave, ask them to argue whether his final act reveals justice or cruelty. A debatable question pulls students toward claims and away from retelling.

A short planning step also helps. Have students write their claim and three pieces of evidence before drafting, and check them quickly. That two-minute review often saves an hour of comments later.