Abstract: As realizations of theoretical constructs, rating scales play an important role in the scoring of compositions. In order to understand the effect of the use of holistic and analytic scales on the reliability of EFL essay rating, the present study, through the application of Many-facet Rasch Model, analyzed the scores awarded by 9 raters on the same set of 50 EFL essays while using both a holistic and an analytic scale. Results showed that the use of the analytic scale led to finer distinctions among examinees in terms of their English writing ability. Meanwhile, the impact of the variability in raters’ severity on examinee ability estimates was also smaller with the use of the analytic scale. What’s more, while there was a lack of clear distinction between most adjacent holistic scores, this problem was not detected for the analytic scale categories. On the whole, the use of the analytic scale led to more favorable impact on the reliability of EFL essay rating.