> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.lena.africa/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Add a rubric to an assignment > Break an assignment’s marks into criteria and levels, so you grade consistently and students know what you look for. A rubric splits an assignment's marks into criteria, each with levels such as Excellent, Good and Needs work. You grade by picking a level for each criterion, and students see the rubric as soon as the assignment is published. An assignment can have one rubric, added while it's a draft. Practice assignments can't have one. ## Add one **1. Open the Rubric tab** Open the draft assignment and choose the **Rubric** tab. ![The Rubric tab showing No rubric yet, with the Generate rubric and Add rubric buttons](https://mintcdn.com/lenaafrica/1V8qk96nF4TQHWmx/images/teacher/rubric-empty.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=1V8qk96nF4TQHWmx\&q=85\&s=9e8dbfb925298697d3f2a35a18b0e7fc) A draft assignment with no rubric yet. **2. Choose Add rubric** The editor opens. Enter a **Rubric name**, such as "Essay rubric". **3. Describe the first criterion** Give it a title, such as "Understanding of the model", and a description if you like. Then choose how it's scored: **Levels** or **Points only** (see below). **4. Fill in the levels** A new criterion starts with three levels: Excellent, Good and Needs work. For each, describe what work at that level looks like and give it points, best level first. Use **Add level** for more, the remove button for fewer, and the handle to drag a level up or down. **5. Add the other criteria** Choose **Add criterion** for each one. A criterion's menu has **Move up**, **Move down** and **Delete criterion**. **6. Make the total match the marks** The **Total** at the bottom adds up each criterion's top points. It must equal the assignment's marks; until it does, the editor says how many points short or over you are. ![The rubric editor with three criteria, each with Excellent, Good and Needs work levels, and a total of 20 points](https://mintcdn.com/lenaafrica/1V8qk96nF4TQHWmx/images/teacher/rubric-editor.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=1V8qk96nF4TQHWmx\&q=85\&s=60d40b8ca9ac4c9d65bc67bea5455f0b) Three criteria worth 8, 6 and 6 points make the assignment’s 20 marks. **7. Save it** Choose **Save**. Until you publish the assignment, you can change it with **Edit** on the Rubric tab. | Scored by | How you grade | Use it for | | - | - | - | | **Levels** | Pick one level per criterion. You can also type points between two levels. | Work you judge against descriptions. | | **Points only** | Type the points, up to the criterion's maximum. | Things you count, such as "5 correct references". | ## Copy a rubric To reuse a rubric from another of your assignments, open the menu beside **Add rubric** and choose **Copy rubric**. Pick the **Assignment** to copy from (this course's come first) and choose **Copy rubric**. You can edit the copy afterwards. If the assignment already has a rubric, the option is **Copy another rubric** in the Rubric tab's **⋮** menu, and the copy replaces it. A copied rubric keeps its own total. If that differs from this assignment's marks, the tab says so, and you'll need to edit it before you can publish. ## Let Lena draft it If your school has [Lena Agent](https://support.lena.africa/agent/what-it-can-do.md), the empty Rubric tab also has **Generate rubric**. Lena reads the assignment's question and marks and drafts the criteria, levels and points to match. **1. Choose Generate rubric** On the draft assignment's **Rubric** tab, choose **Generate rubric**. **2. Add details, if you like** Choose **Add details** to set the **Number of criteria** (leave it empty to let Lena decide) or write a **Note for Lena**, such as "First-year level. Reward clear, accurate examples." **3. Choose Generate** The draft opens in the editor, unsaved. Change anything you like, fix what the editor flags, and choose **Save**. Already have a rubric on paper or in a file? Open the menu beside **Generate rubric** and choose **Import from photo** or **Import from document**. Once the assignment has work handed in, Lena can also mark it against the rubric: see [marking with Lena](https://support.lena.africa/agent/grading.md). ## Good to know * **Each criterion scored by levels needs at least two levels.** Give each level different points, with the best level at the top. * **A rubric is fixed once the assignment is published.** Students can see it from then on, so you can't change it. **Save rubric** on the Rubric tab downloads it as a PDF. * **To remove a rubric**, open **⋮** on the Rubric tab and choose **Delete rubric**. You can add one again while the assignment is a draft. * **Leaving with unsaved changes** asks "Discard your changes?": choose **Keep editing** or **Discard changes**. * **What students see:** the rubric on the assignment's **Rubric** tab from the moment it's published, and, once you [release grades](https://support.lena.africa/teachers/grading-and-releasing.md), where their points landed on each criterion, with your comments. See [assignments for students](https://support.lena.africa/students/assignments.md). ## Troubleshooting > [accordion] “The points add up to 18, 2 short of the assignment’s 20 marks.” > > Raise the top level of one or more criteria until the **Total** matches the marks, or change the assignment's marks > with **Edit**. > [accordion] “The assignment has no marks yet. Set its marks before saving a rubric.” > > Choose **Edit** on the assignment, enter the **Assignment marks**, then come back to the rubric. > [accordion] “Give each level different points.” > > Two levels in one criterion have the same points. Change one of them. > [accordion] “Good is worth more than Excellent, which is above it.” > > Levels run from best to worst. Swap the points, or drag the levels into order. > [accordion] There’s no Rubric tab, or no Add rubric button > > Practice assignments have no rubric, and a published assignment can't get one if it didn't have one. ## Next > [card] [Grade with your rubric](https://support.lena.africa/teachers/grading-and-releasing.md) > > Pick a level for each criterion, add comments, and release the grades. > [card] [Publish the assignment](https://support.lena.africa/teachers/assignments.md) > > Check the dates and make it visible to students. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.