What it does
A good lab report follows a pattern, and students write better ones when they know what each part needs. Teachers mark better when the rubric is clear before anyone starts writing. This page builds both, in your browser:
- A report template. Choose a School practical (aim, hypothesis, variables, equipment, safety, method, results, analysis, conclusion, evaluation), a University lab report (abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, conclusion, references, appendices) or a Short report of one page. Each section comes with prompts that say what belongs there. Rename, reorder, untick or add sections, and rewrite any prompt.
- A figure and table checklist. List the figures and tables you plan, and tick the checks to include: numbers and captions, axis labels with units, error bars explained, the number of repeats, consistent decimal places, colours that work in black and white.
- A marking rubric. Criteria down the side, levels across the top (Excellent, Good, Developing, Beginning in the example), a description in every cell and a weight for every criterion. Add, remove, rename and reorder them.
- A score. Pick a level for each criterion and the page works out the weighted score as a percentage and as marks out of the total you set.
- Downloads. The template and the rubric each download as Word, PDF or Markdown. Save the rubric as a small .json file to open it again next term.
How the score works
Each level has points; the top level’s points are the most a criterion can earn. A criterion’s share of the score is its weight divided by the sum of all weights, so weights of 20 and 10 behave exactly like 2 and 1. A criterion adds its share times its level’s points over the top points. With the example rubric, a report that earns Good (3 of 4 points) on the three criteria weighted 20 and Excellent on everything else scores 100 − 3 × 20 × (1 − 3/4) = 85 %, or 42.5 out of 50. While only some criteria are marked, the page shows the running score over the criteria marked so far and says how many are left.
How to use it
- Report. Pick the kind of report and fill in the title, author, course and date.
- Sections. Untick what you do not need, edit the prompts, and use the arrows to move sections.
- Figures and tables. List what you plan to show and keep the checks you want. Download the template and write your report in it.
- Rubric. Edit the levels, criteria, weights and descriptions. A red message says if something would make the score unfair, such as no levels with points.
- Score. Choose a mark for each criterion, set the total marks, and download the marked rubric for the student.
Worked example
Open the page and leave the example rubric as it is. Set the mark for Results presentation, Analysis and Discussion and evaluation to Good (3) and every other criterion to Excellent (4). The Score card shows 85 %, 42.5 out of 50, and its table lists each criterion’s weight (10 %, 15 %, 20 %, 20 %, 20 %, 5 %, 10 %), mark and what it adds (15 % for each of the three Good criteria). Mark only the first two criteria, Excellent and Beginning, and the page shows 55 % (2 of 7 criteria marked so far): (10 × 4/4 + 15 × 1/4) ÷ 25.
Tips
- Give students the rubric with the template, so they know how they will be marked.
- Keep the level descriptions about what the work shows, not about effort.
- For a lab with no hypothesis (a measurement or a preparation), untick Hypothesis and rewrite the first criterion.
- Markdown suits a course website or a Git repository; Word suits editing; PDF suits printing.
FAQ
Is anything saved? No. Leaving the page forgets your edits. Save the rubric as a .json file if you want it again; it stays on your device.
Do the weights have to add up to 100? No. They are scaled to 100 %, and the Score table shows each criterion’s share.
Can a level be worth 0 points? Yes, for work that is missing. At least one level needs more than 0.
Is this an official rubric? No. The wording is fibub’s own example. Change it to match your course, school or exam board.
Where the numbers come from
- The section prompts, the figure and table checklist, the example rubric and its level descriptions are written by fibub from common practice in science teaching; no school, exam board or university rubric is copied.
- The score is a weighted mean, checked against NumPy on 500 random rubrics.
- Nothing you type is stored or sent. A rubric is saved only as a file you download.
Standard scientific values, such as constants, atomic weights and melting points, are facts found in every textbook; we name where ours were checked. If you are an author or publisher and want a value, a credit or a table changed or removed, tell us and we will act quickly.
Last updated 2026-11-09.