Unisite Subdivision, Del Pilar, City of San Fernando, 2000 Pampanga, Philippines

Performance Task:

Disciplines and Ideas in the Applied Social Sciences

Output: Critical Essay

Guidelines in Writing the Critical Essay:

Identify two scholarly articles on a topic of your choice that deals with the study of
Philippine Politics. In finding the materials, you should be utilizing all the facilities
available: libraries, internet sources, books, government reports, and etc. If you are
unfamiliar with any of the library research techniques, ask the librarian to demonstrate.

Finding or choosing the articles is a crucial part of the activity. in order to write a good
essay, you will need to have a coherent set of readings that addresses a particular issue but
from different perspectives. Identifying and finding relevant literature is an important
research skill and evidence that you have successfully done so will count towards the final
mark of the essay.

The reading will form the raw materials for your essay, it is important to recognize that the
essay should not be about a particular issue, but rather about the literature on the issue.
You are not being asked to write an essay on, for example, the “Martial Law of Ferdinand
Marcos.” Instead, your task is to write a critical review essay of the literature that you have
found in the subject. This means that the opinions, arguments, and methodologies of the
authors concerned are more important than the facts they present. The facts they use are
only relevant in as much as they indicate a particular perspective being adopted or to the
extent that the authors contest them.

The purpose of this exercise is to make you think carefully and critically about the
literature that you are reading and to show evidence to support a viewpoint of your own.
Your role is neither to synthesize and reproduce the information in the readings nor write
an annotated bibliography that describes what each reading contains.

To assist you, here is a checklist to consider:

1. A title that indicates the specific issue on which your literature will be based.
2. A brief introductory section that describes the background to the issue under analysis
and places it in a broader context (both theoretically and in terms of metropolitan or
national setting).
3. Carefully discuss the readings that you have found, evaluating the perspective, opinions,
arguments, methodologies, etc. that the author present. This can be done for each reading
in turn or on the basis of themes that cut across all readings.
4. Highlight the areas of consensus and disagreements between the various authors.
5. Offer your own views on the issue based on your evaluation of various perspectives
found in the readings.
6. Provide a bibliography that lists the readings you have used. Use the APA style
7. Check your essay carefully for grammatical and spelling errors.
8. Write your name on the title page. 9. Submit your critical essay with the photocopy of the
two articles.

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Rubric:

Needs
Excellent Proficient (8 Satisfactory (6 Unacceptable
Criteria Improvement Score
(10 pts) pts) pts) (2 pts)
(4 pts)
Clear,
insightful,
and well- Thesis is clear Thesis is Thesis is
developed and presents a present but unclear, lacks No thesis
Thesis
thesis with a strong may be vague, focus, or does statement or
Statement &
strong, argument but weak, or not not provide a argument is
Argument
arguable lacks depth or fully strong present.
claim that originality. developed. argument.
guides the
essay.
Provides
Analysis is
deep,
Good analysis somewhat No meaningful
critical Limited analysis
with relevant effective but analysis or
analysis with minimal
Analysis & support, but relies on interpretation;
with well- support; more
Interpretation may lack depth summary largely
supported summary than
or originality in rather than summary or
arguments interpretation.
interpretation. critical off-topic.
and original
engagement.
insights.
Effectively
integrates Includes some
Evidence is
strong, Uses relevant evidence, but it No or
minimal, weak,
Use of relevant, evidence but may be weak, irrelevant
or not well-
Evidence and varied may lack variety inconsistent, or evidence is
connected to
evidence to or integration. poorly provided.
arguments.
support integrated.
claims.
Well-
structured Generally well- Organization is
Weak structure No clear
with clear organized with somewhat
with abrupt or organization;
and logical logical flow; unclear or
Organization missing ideas are
flow; some inconsistent,
& Coherence transitions, scattered and
transitions transitions making the
causing difficult to
effectively could be essay harder to
confusion. follow.
guide the improved. follow.
reader.
Writing is
clear, Writing is Writing is Writing is
Writing is clear
precise, and understandable unclear or poor,
with minor
Clarity & engaging, but may have inconsistent, incoherent, or
issues in style,
Writing Style with a awkward making filled with
tone, or
strong phrasing or comprehension distracting
engagement.
academic lack clarity. difficult. errors.
tone.
Virtually no
errors in Few minor Some errors in Numerous
Frequent errors
Grammar, grammar, errors that do grammar, errors that
that disrupt
Mechanics & spelling, not affect spelling, or make the
readability and
Formatting punctuation readability or formatting that essay difficult
professionalism.
, or professionalism. affect clarity. to understand.
formatting.
Total

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL