teacher's comments on essay

Elementary Assessments

155 Quick and Positive Teacher Comments for Student Writing

If you’re looking for positive teacher comments for student writing, you’ve landed in the right place.

One of the most important parts of assessing students is providing feedback.

Providing feedback does not have to be a complicated process. It can be as simple as jotting down quick positive comments on student papers.

These positive comments for student writing should highlight things that students do well.  

Positive comments reinforce to students what’s working well and provide the motivation that keeps them growing academically.

What’s more, these comments serve students better than letter grades. 

Here you will find a collection of positive teacher comments for student writing that you can use as meaningful feedback.

No matter the writing assignment, this list of teacher comments for student writing helps students to grow academically. 

Teacher Comments for Student Writing

The following teacher comments for student writing may be used to assess homework, exam papers, and/or to note how well students are progressing.

1. What an original idea!

2. Keep up the great work!

3. Wonderful handwriting!

4. Impressive style and truly original writing!

5. Your writing is out of this world!

6. Your hard work paid off! Congratulations!

7. First-rate job on your writing!

8. Your attention to detail is outstanding!

9. You are a superstar!

10. You’ve learned so much! Great job!

11. Your understanding of the subject has improved dramatically!

12. You expressed yourself incredibly well!

13. I knew you could do it!

14. You are so artistic and creative!

15. Your choice of words painted a clear picture!

16. I’m impressed by your improvement!

17. You are a gifted student! Great writing!

18. Your skills have really grown this year!

19. You should be proud of this work!

20. I truly enjoyed grading this paper!

21. You receive my seal of approval!

22. Your writing brightened my day!

23. You followed the instructions perfectly!

24. You continue to exceed my expectations!

25. I can tell that you give this your best effort! Great job!

26. Have you been holding back? This is phenomenal work!

27. You’re really in touch with your feelings here!

28. Your hard work shows! Great improvement!

29. You’ve come a long way!

30. This is a definite winner!

31. That’s an interesting point!

32. Thank you for such a fantastic effort!

33. You’re almost an expert now!

34. Terrific job! Your patience has paid off!

35. Your writing was clear, concise, and creative!

36. Awesome job! Keep it up!

37. Your writing skills keep improving!

38. I’m lucky to grade such fantastic work!

39. I love how focused your writing has become!

40. Your paper is full of wonderful ideas!

41. This really blew me away!

42. Great job thinking everything through! Very concise!

43. You get a high five! Fabulous job!

44. Your potential is limitless!

45. I love the creativity you put into this!

46. This assignment really shows off your skills!

47. You’re now unstoppable! Keep it up!

48. You challenged yourself and succeeded!

49. I had to read this twice. I loved it so much!

50. See, I told you that you’re a great writer!

51. You knocked this out of the park!

52. I can tell that you did your best!

53. You’ve made more progress than I could have imagined!

54. You learned something new!

55. Your motivation is starting to pay off!

56. What great observations!

57. Your work is coming along nicely!

58. That was a very perceptive point!

59. This is prize-winning writing!

60. You’re right on target! Keep hitting bullseyes!

61. You make writing look easy!

62. Congratulations! You move to the head of the class!

63. Prestigious work! Your best effort yet!

64. Exhilarating writing! Amazing effort!

65. Doesn’t it feel great to do such a wonderful job?

66. Extraordinary! Much better than last time!

67. Sensational effort! What careful work!

68. Top-notch job! I appreciate the hard work!

69. Your personality shines!

70. This assignment has pizzazz! Wow!

71. Great job getting to the heart of the issue!

72. Very well-thought-out points!

73. I can tell that you’ve been paying attention!

74. This is a winner! Gold star!

75. You really outdid yourself with this paper!

76. What an accomplishment!

77. This is absolutely incredible!

78. Your lead really grabs my attention. 

79. What a unique way to begin your writing. 

80. Your main idea is very clear. 

81. Bravo! You reached each standard. 

82. Wow! This is just purrfect!

83. Exceptional use of details in your writing.

84. You did a great job explaining your answer. 

85. This part really moved me. 

86. This paper has pizzazz!

87. You are moving in the right direction. 

88. What a fantastic strategy for solving the problem!

89. Your progress is phenomenal.

90. So impressive!

91. This is above grade-level work!

92. You outlined the steps perfectly!

93. I can follow your thoughts easily.

94. Fantastic use of metaphors!

95. You definitely know your audience!

96. This receives a 5-star rating!

97. You really outdid yourself with this one. 

98. Keep pushing forward!

99. The ideas flow nicely.

100. This paper is rock-solid! Nice job.

101. Your thoughts are coherent and easy to follow.

102. I love the way you took risks with new vocabulary words.

103. How impressive! I am so proud of you!

104. Your use of transition words makes reading your paper a breeze. 

105. Great use of similes.

106. The voice of your writing is very clear. 

107. I enjoyed following along the journey!

108. Your reasoning is good. 

109. I commend you for your thorough work.

110. This work shows so much improvement!

111. What an interesting point of view.

112. Your personality shines through.

113. Score! You did it!

114. I can tell that you really worked hard on this.

115. Your progress is admirable. Stay motivated!

116. I love the way you added details to help readers visualize.

117. What a clever perspective!

118. I can see your progress clearly.

119. I loved the way you compared and contrasted the ideas.

120. Neat handwriting!

121. Your examples are excellent!

122. You have great attention to detail.

123. I love the way you elaborated on the main ideas.

124. Your thoughts are very clear.

125. You show lots of sensitivity to this subject.

126. You’ve really been paying attention in class.

127. You’re right on target with this point.

128. Thank you for a job well done.

129. Good points made.

130. What an interesting point of view!

131. This part is coming along nicely.

132. 5-star rating!

133. Your ending surprised me!

134. You have all the elements of a great piece of writing here!

135. This is something special!

136. It’s obvious you did thorough research.

137. Now I’m excited to learn more about this topic!

138. You really did this topic justice.

139. Your clarity of the subject is spectacular.

140. You worded this well.

141. Well thought out!

142. What neat work!

143. You’ve outdid yourself!

144. Looks like you’re becoming an expert on this topic!

145. I love the way you used powerful verbs!

146. Your use of figurative language is superb.

147. Phenomenal piece of writing!

148. You’re achieving your S.M.A.R.T goals with this type of work!

149. Your grammar is on point!

150. Great job revising your work!

151. Your work on this assignment is praiseworthy!

152. With this work, you’re ready for ______ grade!

153. Your ideas flow seamlessly.

154. This part is very noteworthy.

155. I love the way you used sticky notes for revision.

Final Thoughts: Teacher Comments for Student Writing

Now you have a ready-supply of teacher comments for student writing that you can use as positive feedback on written assignments.

Positive comments support students’ growth. The right comment can boost self-esteem , motivation, and student engagement. 

So if you want to empower and uplift students, utilize these helpful teacher comments for student writing.

Related: grow and glow sentence starters

100+ Positive Comments to Write on Student Papers That’ll Have a Lasting Impact

by Sara Ipatenco

Everyone loves to hear something nice, and that includes your students! Students of any age will feel so good about themselves when they read positive comments written right on their assignments. Seeing positive words will also give students the motivation to keep working hard because they know their efforts are being recognized. Positive and meaningful praise will also help students form a close bond with their teacher, which encourages children to work hard and learn a lot. Pick up your favorite pen and get writing.

Here are more than 100 positive comments your students would love to read!

• This is some awesome thinking!
• What terrific math skills you’re showing!
• You are an amazing writer!
• Wow! You have improved so much!
• You are showing excellent understanding!
• This is clear, concise, and complete!
• What a powerful argument!
• I knew you could do it!
• Wonderful ideas!
• It was a pleasure to grade this!
• Keep up the incredible work!
• My goodness, how impressive!
• You’re showing inventive ideas!
• You’ve shown so much growth!
• Interesting thoughts!
• I love your neat work!
• Doesn’t it feel good to do such great work?
• First-rate work!
• This is fascinating information!
• You inspire me!
• This is right on target!
• What an astounding observation!
• This is very well thought out!
• I can tell you’ve been practicing!
• You’ve come a long way!
• This has pizazz!
• I can tell you’ve been paying attention!
• Reading this made my day!
• This is very perceptive!
• What an accomplishment!
• You make a great point here!
• I really like your creativity!
• You are an exceptional student!
• You have brilliant thoughts!
• This is beautiful!
• Dazzling examples!
• Vivid language choices!
• You express your ideas so well!
• This was a delight to read!
• This is a persuasive argument!
• You show an impressive grasp on this subject!
• You are gifted!
• You are so clever!
• What a great learner you are!
• I value these thoughts!
• You are such a motivated worker!
• You show great attention to detail!
• You are so artistic!
• I am so proud of you!
• Lovely handwriting!
• Great example!
• You worked so hard!
• You are a star!
• You learned so much!
• You are so smart!
• You’ve made a lot of progress!
• What bright thinking!
• You rocked this!
• Great thinking!
• You did your best!
• I love this!
• You can do hard things!
• You are talented!
• You amaze me!
• You discovered something new!
• I enjoyed reading this!
• You are so ambitious!
• I appreciate your hard work!
• This is magical work!
• You did it!
• You’ve achieved so much!
• You really challenged yourself!
• I admire you!
• You are unstoppable!
• You have great ideas!
• This really sparkles!
• What a great vision you have!
• You have really improved!
• You’ve really grown!
• You are a snappy problem-solver!
• This really shines!
• You make me want to learn more!
• This made me smile!
• You are a winner!
• I love your creativity!
• You are so intelligent!
• You should be proud!
• You have amazing potential!
• This is top-notch!
• You deserve a high five!
• Way to think it through!
• This blew me away!
• These are fabulous ideas!
• This gets my seal of approval!
• This is quality work!
• You reached your goal!
• Out of this world!
• You’re on top of it!
• I can tell this is your best effort!
• I love how motivated you are!
• You are so focused!
• I’m so lucky to grade your work!
• I love your enthusiasm!

Your students will glow when they review their work as they read your positive comments. They’ll love it so much that you can look forward to even more excellent work to comment on!

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• Responding to Student Writing

PRINCIPLES OF RESPONDING TO STUDENT WRITING

Your comments on student writing should clearly reflect the hierarchy of your concerns about the paper. Major issues should be treated more prominently and at greater length; minor issues should be treated briefly or not at all. If you comment extensively on grammatical or mechanical issues, you should expect students to infer that such issues are among your main concerns with the paper. It is after all not unreasonable for students to assume that the amount of ink you spill on an issue bears some relationship to the issue’s importance.

It is often more helpful to comment explicitly, substantively, and in detail about two or three important matters than it is to comment superficially about many issues. Many veteran readers find the experience of responding to student writing to be one of constantly deciding not to comment on less important issues. Such restraint allows you to focus your energies on just a few important points and also tends to yield a cleaner and more easily intelligible message for students.

Some suggestions for writing comments follow.

READING THE PAPER

You may want to skim through four or five papers to get a sense of the pile before reading and grading any single paper. Many instructors read each paper once through to grasp the overall argument before making any marks. Whether skimming on a first time through or reading carefully, you might keep the following categories in mind, which will help you assess the paper’s strengths and weaknesses:

• Thesis: Is there one main argument in the paper? Does it fulfill the assignment? Is the thesis clearly stated near the beginning of the paper? Is it interesting, complex? Is it argued throughout?
• Structure: Is the paper clearly organized? Is it easy to understand the main point of each paragraph? Does the order of the overall argument make sense, and is it easy to follow?
• Evidence and Analysis: Does the paper offer supporting evidence for each of its points?Does the evidence suggest the writer’s knowledge of the subject matter? Has the paper overlooked any obvious or important pieces of evidence? Is there enough analysis of evidence? Is the evidence properly attributed, and is the bibliographical information correct?
• Sources: If appropriate or required, are sources used besides the main text(s) under consideration? Are they introduced in an understandable way? Is their purpose in the argument clear? Do they do more than affirm the writer’s viewpoint or represent a “straw person” for knocking down? Are responsible inferences drawn from them? Are they properly attributed, and is the bibliographical information correct?
• Style: Is the style appropriate for its audience? Is the paper concise and to the point? Are sentences clear and grammatically correct? Are there spelling or proofreading errors?

WRITING A FINAL COMMENT

Y our final comment is your chance not only to critique the paper at hand but also to communicate your expectations about writing and to teach students how to write more effective papers in the future.

The following simple structure will help you present your comments in an organized way:

• Reflect back the paper’s main point. By reflecting back your understanding of the argument, you let the student see that you took the paper seriously. A restatement in your own words will also help you ground your comment. If the paper lacks a thesis, restate the subject area.
• Discuss the essay’s strengths. Even very good writers need to know what they’re doing well so that they can do it again in the future. Remember to give specific examples.
• Discuss the paper’s weaknesses, focusing on large problems first. You don’t have to comment on every little thing that went wrong in a paper. Instead, choose two or three of the most important areas in which the student needs to improve, and present these in order of descending importance. You may find it useful to key these weaknesses to such essay elements as Thesis, Structure, Evidence, and Style. Give specific examples to show the student what you’re seeing. If possible, suggest practical solutions so that the student writer can correct the problems in the next paper.
• Type your final comments if possible. If you handwrite them, write in a straight line (not on an angle or up the side of a page), and avoid writing on the reverse side; instead, append extra sheets as needed. The more readable your comments are, the more seriously your students are likely to take them.

MARGINAL COMMENTS

While carefully reading a paper, you’ll want to make comments in the margins. These comments have two main purposes: to show students that you attentively read the paper and to help students understand the connection between the paper and your final comments. If you tell a student in the final comment that he or she needs more analysis, for example, the student should be able to locate one or more specific sites in the text that you think are lacking.

SOME PRINCIPLES FOR MAKING MARGINAL COMMENTS

• Make some positive comments. “Good point” and “great move here” mean a lot to students, as do fuller indications of your engagement with their writing. Students need to know what works in their writing if they’re to repeat successful strategies and make them a permanent part of their repertoire as writers. They’re also more likely to work hard to improve when given some positive feedback.
• Comment primarily on patterns—representative strengths and weaknesses. Noting patterns (and marking these only once or twice) helps instructors strike a balance between making students wonder whether anyone actually read their essay and overwhelming them with ink. The “pattern” principle applies to grammar and other sentence-level problems, too.
• Write in complete, detailed sentences. Cryptic comments—e.g., “weak thesis,” “more analysis needed,” and “evidence?”—will be incompletely understood by most students, who will wonder, What makes the thesis weak? What does my teacher mean by “analysis”? What about my evidence? Symbols and abbreviations—e.g., “awk” and “?”—are likewise confusing. The more specific and concrete your comments, the more helpful they’ll be to student writers.
• Ask questions. Asking questions in the margins promotes a useful analytical technique while helping students anticipate future readers’ queries.
• Use a respectful tone. Even in the face of fatigue and frustration, it’s important to address students respectfully, as the junior colleagues they are.
• Write legibly (in any ink but red). If students have to struggle to decipher a comment, they probably won’t bother. Red ink will make them feel as if their essay is being corrected rather than responded to.
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List of Comments for Student Writing

Posted on Published: April 3, 2024

By: Author Jane Morris

Comments on student writing can be one of the most tedious, frustrating parts of being a teacher. You find yourself writing the same few things repeatedly, and even though there’s probably a rubric that gives substantial feedback, students and parents still expect additional comments that are more tailored to them.

Feedback on writing can be crucial for improvement, but how often do students take the input and apply it to their next piece of writing? Some don’t even read the comments; they just look at the grade, and the paper goes into the recycling bin!

One way to force students to use your feedback is to have them hold onto the last writing assignment or collect it and re-issue it the next time you give a writing assignment. Then, have them attach it to the next piece of writing and see if they have actually applied any of your feedback. Make sure to have “growth” or “applying feedback” as part of the new grade.

But what kind of comments should you be making? This article delves into the various types of constructive comments you can make on student writing.

Argumentative Writing or Debate

Use these comments when students have to write an argument that takes one side of a debate. 

• Organization and Clarity: Viewpoints and responses are clear and organized
• Use of Facts and Examples: Arguments are supported with facts and examples
• Relevance of Supporting Arguments: All supporting arguments are relevant
• Strength of Arguments: All arguments are solid and convincing

Personal Narrative

Use these comments when students have a personal narrative essay, such as the college application essay.

• Organization and Focus: Clear main ideas and supporting details, stays on topic
• Originality: Vivid details, fresh word choice, creativity, risk-taking
• Writer’s Voice: consistent throughout, engaging, conveys individual personality
• Technical Errors: Spelling, grammar, punctuation, usage
• Power overall: exciting topic, clearly developed; holds the attention of the reader

Literary Analysis

Use these comments when students have to analyze literature in any way including identifying and evaluating author’s style or purpose.

• Makes a claim: Clear and specific thesis that accurately identifies how the author used a specific element to achieve a particular purpose
• Uses support: Analysis of the techniques used is thorough and fully explains HOW and WHY the techniques are effective
• Conclusion: effectively sums up your main point and evaluates the effectiveness of the author’s techniques
• Purpose: writing is formal and purposeful, style follows proper grammatical, syntactical, and spelling rules

Fictional Narrative

Use these comments any time students have to write a piece of fiction.

• Uses proper format (font, spacing, heading, original title)
• Length: Minimum of ____words
• Proper use of dialogue
• Vivid Descriptions of characters and setting
• Conventions: The writer uses standard writing conventions effectively and purposefully
• Effect: the story has an intended effect on the reader
• Conclusion: The story feels complete, not as if it needs more details; the conflict has been resolved

Synthesis Essay

A Synthesis essay is a multi-paragraph essay that includes quotes and details for support from two or more sources. 

• Essay contains a logical organizational format with an introduction that ends with the thesis, supporting paragraphs with topic and concluding sentences, a conclusion, and transitions
• Essay incorporates valid and significant support from at least two sources that explicitly connect to add support to the thesis that is cited using the proper citation
• Essay contains sound mechanics, has been proofread, and is free of grammatical and spelling errors

Research Paper

A research paper includes quotes and citations from multiple sources.

• Content/Information: You successfully provide the history or background on the chosen topic. There is evidence that you carefully selected the information provided. All information is accurate, relevant, and engaging
• Organization: You organized the information in a logical, purposeful, and coherent way
• Research and Citations: You carefully researched the topic using reliable sources of information. You included a properly formatted works cited page that lists all sources cited in the paper
• Use of Language: Your writing has been proofread carefully and is generally free of all errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, and usage

General Essay Scoring Rubric

Use this rubric for any general piece of writing.

A paper in this category is outstanding, demonstrating clear and consistent mastery, although it may have occasional errors. Such a paper will:

• effectively and insightfully addresses the writing task, 
• is well organized and fully developed, using clearly appropriate examples to support ideas,
• displays consistent facility in the use of language, demonstrating variety in sentence structure and range of vocabulary.

A paper in this category is effective, demonstrating reasonably consistent mastery, although it will have occasional errors or lapses in quality. Such a paper will:

• effectively addresses the writing task,
• is generally well organized and well developed, using appropriate examples to support ideas,
• displays facility in the use of language, demonstrating some syntactic variety and range of vocabulary.

A paper in this category is competent, demonstrating adequate mastery with occasional errors and lapses in quality. Such a paper will:

• addresses the writing task,
• is organized and adequately developed, using examples to support ideas,
• displays adequate but inconsistent facility in the use of language, presenting some errors in
• grammar or diction present minimal sentence variety

A paper in this category is inadequate but demonstrates developing mastery. Such a paper may contain one or more of the following weaknesses:

• inadequate organization or development
• inappropriate or insufficient details to support ideas
• an accumulation of errors in grammar, diction, or sentence structure

A paper in this category is seriously limited, demonstrating little mastery. Such a paper is flawed by one or more of the following weaknesses:

• poor organization,
• thin development
• little or inappropriate detail to support ideas
• frequent errors in grammar, diction, and sentence structure

As much as students hate to write papers, we hate to grade them. It’s tedious and bordering on torture. But having comments at the ready can speed up the process and even make it more meaningful for those students who choose to actually read and apply the feedback. 

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150 Positive Comments for Student Papers

August 31, 2023 //  by  Maria Van Norman

Teaching is often a time-consuming job, especially for a teacher who must grade papers. It often feels daunting when staring at that stack of papers and wondering how writing constructive feedback on each one is feasible.

However, a teacher knows that even when she is tired, as she grades paper after paper, it is extremely important to give the students constructive comments on their work. The feedback for students is what helps students learn.

The positive feedback outweighs the negative feedback as well, so make it a common strategy to give positive feedback on students’ papers. It is a tremendous opportunity for students to grow.

1. I never thought of it this way. Great job analyzing!

2. What an amazing sentence!

3. This is a wonderful thesis! Good job!

4. I can tell you worked really hard on this!

5. This thesis statement is superb!

6. Wow, this is some of your best work yet!

7. Way to stay focused! I’m proud of you!

8. This is an excellent analytical paper!

9. I can tell you are motivated! I love it!

10. I feel privileged to have gotten to read this work! Great effective paper!

11. Your enthusiasm shows! Wonderful job!

12. This is not just a sheet of paper. It’s wonderful work!

13. This is one of the more superior papers I have read!

14. I really love how creative you get with your descriptions!

15. Out of this world!

16. There is so much to be proud of with your paper assignment!

17. This part made me smile!

18. You are a star!

19. Clever argument!

20. You worked hard; I can tell!

21. What brilliant thinking!

22. Terrific persuasive argument!

23. You have learned so much and it shows!

24. You rocked this essay!

25. I can tell you did your best!

26. You are so smart!

27. What a powerful argument! Keep up the good work!

28. You should be proud of this work!

29. You have made great progress!

30. Your handwriting is just lovely!

31. This is a great example! Good job!

32. I love your thoughts here!

33. I’m very impressed!

34. You have a sophisticated argument! Awesome job!

35. You are artistic and creative!

36. I love your attention to detail!

37. This is a very powerful sentence!

38. You show great promise!

39. What a terrific learner you are!

40. The sentence structure you used here is brilliant!

41. Your skills are stellar!

42. This hypothesis is amazing! I can’t wait to see where you take it!

43. I knew you could do it!

44. Every single sentence in this paper is wonderful!

45. You have a lot of fabulous ideas in this paper!

46. It doesn’t surprise me a bit that I smiled throughout your whole paper!

47. Keep up the incredible work!

48. Way to grab the reader’s attention! Great job!

49. Your handwriting is so neat!

50. This part moved me!

51. You certainly made me open my mind even more! Wonderful job!

53. I see so much improvement in your work! I’m proud of you!

54. I like the way you tackled this assignment!

55. Very impressive!

56. You have very inventive ideas here

57. Smart thinking!

58. You were very clear, concise, and complete!

59. Phenomenal job!

60. This is well thought out and I enjoyed grading it!

61. You outdid yourself with this assignment!

62. What a wonderful assignment!

63. Your work has flair!

64. Such a wonderful perspective on this topic!

65. This is clever!

66. I can tell you had fun with this assignment!

67. You rock!

68. This is stellar work!

69. Your use of this example moves your argument forward!

70. Your algebra is on fire!

71. This is a great metaphor!

72. Nice idea!

73. This is great work!

74. You did it!

75. I knew you could do it!

76. You went above and beyond here! I’m impressed!

77. Magnificent!

78. Marvelous!

79. You did a tremendous job!

80. This paragraph is brilliant!

81. Your science experiment was awesome!

82. Your artwork is exquisite!

83. What an excellent point!

84. Great job making connections here!

85. This sentence is excellent!

86. You chose a great quote!

87. This is a powerful point! Great job!

88. Your argument is very focused and solid!

89. Terrific explanation!

90. I love how you connected these ideas!

91. You are so smart!

92. Perfect!

93. Great stuff!

94. I love this! It made me laugh!

95. Outstanding work!

96. These are amazing ideas!

97. What an amazing way of thinking! Great job!

98. You made me think here! Good job!

99. A wonderful way to present this information!

100. You are showing exceptional understanding!

101. You are an awesome writer!

102. I love reading your essays!

103. You have shown incredible growth!

104. Your work is so neat! Great job!

105. This sentence is right on target!

106. You have an excellent idea here!

107. I can tell you’ve been practicing!

108. You are very preceptive!

109. This sentence is beautifully written!

110. I love your vivid word choice!

111. The way you express your ideas is wonderful!

112. You are quite gifted!

113. You show outstanding attention to detail!

114. You are a superstar!

115. I can tell that you did your best! Way to go!

116. You are very talented!

117. This paragraph is simply tremendous!

118. I appreciate how hard you worked on this assignment!

119. You made me so proud with your examples!

120. You are unstoppable!

121. This sentence sparkles!

122. This is one of the best essays I’ve read!

123. You have exceptional potential!

124. I’m giving you a high-five for this essay!

125. This sentence blew me away!

126. You did quality work! Great job!

127. This is a terrific piece of evidence for your argument!

128. No grammatical errors in this paragraph! I’m so proud!

129. You are an amazing writer!

130. Your organized paragraphs make me very proud!

131. You’ve shown creative problem solving here!

132. Superb word choice in this sentence!

133. What a critical piece to your argument! Great job!

134. You’ve reached your goal! Be proud of yourself!

135. This essay may be your best work yet!

136. Tremendous use of sentence syntax to prove your point!

137. You amaze me with your attention to detail!

138. Great writing!

139. Profound statement!

140. Brilliantly worded!

141. You prove that you can do hard things! Good work!

142. The connections you have made to the real world are stellar!

143. Way to tackle a tough topic! I’m proud of you!

144. Your talent shines through!

145. Terrific answer!

146. Your similes are sensational!

147. You are very intelligent!

148. I love your clarity in this paragraph!

149. This paper really shines!

150. You make me want to learn more about this topic!

Closing Thoughts

Teachers hold a piece of their student’s future in their hands. The responsibility is great. Therefore, even when wanting to mark up all of the errors on a paper, remember to add the positive comments as well. Make sure that students can grow and not feel defeated or frustrated. By including positive comments on students’ papers, students’ spirits will soar in ways you can not even imagine.

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Teaching Resources

Commenting on Student Writing

Resource overview.

Instructors who require their students to write papers dedicate many hours each semester to reading, commenting on, and grading student writing, and they often wonder if the time they have spent translates into improvements in their students’ writing skills. For their part, students want constructive feedback on their writing and often express frustration when they find their instructors’ comments on their papers to be mysterious, confusing, or simply too brief.

Tips to improve and help you respond to your students’ writing:

These tips focus on the process of writing comments on students’ papers (whether on rough drafts or final drafts), rather than on the process of grading papers. Grading and commenting on papers are certainly interconnected processes. However, while instructors often think of writing comments on papers as simply a means to justify grades, that purpose should be secondary to helping your students improve their writing skills.

These tips are organized into four categories:

Course Planning

Writing comments in the margins, writing final comments, what else can you do.

Before the course begins, think about what kind of writing you will assign, and how you will respond to that writing.

• Design each writing assignment so that it has a clear purpose connected to the learning objectives for the course. Craft each assignment as an opportunity for students to practice and master writing skills that are central to their success in the course and to academic achievement in your discipline. For example, if you want them to learn how to summarize and respond to primary literature or to present and support an argument, design assignments that explicitly require the skills that are necessary to accomplish these objectives.
• Sequence your writing assignments to help students acquire skills incrementally, beginning with shorter, simpler writing assignments to longer, more complex papers. You might also find it helpful to develop a sequence for writing comments. In other words, decide ahead of time which aspects of the writing you will focus on with each assignment. For example, you may decide to focus your comments on the first assignment on the writing of the thesis statement, then focus comments on later papers on the success with which the students deal with counter-arguments. Sequencing your comments can help make the commenting process more efficient. However, it is essential to communicate to students before they turn in their papers which aspects of the writing you are going to focus on in your feedback at which points in the semester (and why).
• Develop and communicate clear grading criteria for each writing assignment. These criteria will help you be as consistent and fair as possible when evaluating a group of student papers. Developing and using criteria is especially important when co-teaching a course or when asking TAs to grade papers for the course. Distribute the grading criteria to students (or post the criteria on the course Web site) so that they will know how you will evaluate their work. While there are shared criteria for “good writing” that apply across academic disciplines, each discipline also has certain standards and conventions that shape writing in the discipline. Do not expect that students will come into your class knowing how to write the kind of paper you will ask them to write. For example, a student who has learned how to write an excellent analytical paper in a literature course may not know how to write the kind of paper that is typically required for a history course. Give students a written list of discipline-specific standards and conventions, and explain these in class. Provide examples of the kind of writing they will need to produce in your course.
• Develop a process for writing comments that will give students a clear idea of whether they have or have not achieved the course’s learning objectives (and with what degree of success). Students should be able to see a clear correlation among 1) written comments on a paper, 2) the grading criteria for the assignment, and 3) the learning objectives for the course. Thus, before you start reading and commenting on a stack of papers, remind yourself of the grading criteria, the learning objectives, and which aspects of the writing you want to focus on in your response.
• The first time you read through a paper, try to hold off on writing comments. Instead, take the time to read the paper in its entirety. If you need to take some notes, do so on another piece of paper. This strategy will prevent you from making over-hasty judgments, such as faulting a student for omitting evidence that actually appears later in the paper. (In such cases, it may be appropriate to tell the student that you expected that evidence to be presented earlier–and the reason why). While you may expect this strategy to take more time, it can actually save you time by allowing you to focus your feedback on the most important strengths and weaknesses you want to bring to the writers’ attention (see “Writing Final Comments,” below).
• Respond as a reader, not as a writer. Do not tell students how YOU would write the paper. Instead, tell them how you are responding to each part of the paper as you read it, pointing out gaps in logic or support and noting confusing language where it occurs. For example, if a sentence jumps abruptly to a new topic, do not rewrite the sentence to provide a clear transition or tell the student how to rewrite it. Instead, simply write a note in the margin to indicate the problem, then prompt the student to come up with a solution. This strategy is especially important to follow when a student asks you to respond to a draft before the final paper is due; in this case, your aim should be to help the student identify weaknesses that he or she should improve and NOT to do the student’s thinking and writing for them. Of course, in some instances, it is necessary and appropriate to give the student explicit directions, such as when she or he seems to have missed something important about the assignment, misread a source, left out an essential piece of evidence, or failed to cite a source correctly.
• Ask questions to help students revise and improve. One way to ensure that your comments are not overly directive is to write questions in the margins, rather than instructions. For the most part, these questions should be “open” rather than “closed” (having only one correct answer.) Open questions can be a very effective way to prompt students to think more deeply about the topic, to provide needed evidence, or to clarify language. For ideas on how to phrase open questions, see Asking Questions to Improve Learning.
• Resist the temptation to edit. Instead, mark a few examples of repeated errors and direct students to attend to those errors. Simply put, if you correct your students’ writing at the sentence level, they will not learn how to do so themselves, and you will continue to see the same errors in paper after paper. Moreover, when you mark all mechanical errors, you may overwhelm your students with so many marks that they will have trouble determining what to focus on when writing the next draft or paper.
• Be specific. Comments in the margin such as “vague,” “confusing,” and “good” do not help students improve their writing. In fact, many students find these comments “vague” and “confusing”–and sometimes abrupt or harsh. Taking a little more time to write longer, and perhaps fewer, comments in the margin will help you identify for students exactly what they have done well or poorly. Information about both is crucial for helping them improve their writing.

Here are some examples of specific comments:

Rather than  “vague”

• “Which research finding are you referring to here?”
• “I don’t understand your use of the underlined phrase. Can you rewrite this sentence?”
• “Can you provide specific details to show what you mean here?”

Instead of “ confusing ,” “ what? ” or “ ??? ”

• “I lost the thread of your argument. Why is this information important? How is it related to your argument?”
• “You imply that this point supports your argument, but it actually contradicts your point in paragraph 3.”

Rather than “ good ”

• “This excellent example moves your argument forward.”
• “Wonderful transition that helped clarify the connection between the two studies you are summarizing.”
• “An apt metaphor that helped me understand your argument about this historical metaphor.”
• Begin by making positive comments; when pointing out weaknesses, use a descriptive tone, rather than one that conveys disappointment or frustration. Give an honest assessment, but do not overwhelm the writer with an overly harsh or negative reaction. For example, do not assume or suggest that if a paper is not well written, the writer did not devote a lot of time to the assignment. The writer may have in fact struggled through several drafts. Keep in mind that confusing language or a lack of organized paragraphs may be evidence not of a lack of effort, but rather of confused thinking. The writer may therefore benefit from a few, targeted questions or comments that help them clarify their thinking.
• Limit your comments; do not try to cover everything. Focus on the 3-4 most important aspects of the paper. Provide a brief summary of 1) what you understood from the paper and 2) any difficulties you encountered. Make sure that whatever you write addresses the grading criteria for the assignment, but also try to tailor your comments to the specific strengths and weaknesses shown by the individual student. While you may think that writing lots of comments will convey your interest in helping the student improve, students–like all writers–can be overwhelmed by copious written comments on their work. They may therefore have trouble absorbing all the comments you have written, let alone trying to use those comments to improve their writing on the next draft or paper.
• Distinguish “higher-order” from “lower-order” issues. Typically, “higher-order” concerns include such aspects as the thesis and major supporting points, while “lower-order” concerns are grammatical or mechanical aspects of the writing. Whatever you see as “higher” in importance than other aspects should be clear in your grading criteria. Whatever you decide, write your comments in a way that will help students know which aspects of their writing they should focus on FIRST as they revise a paper or write the next paper. For example, if a paper lacks an argument or a main point in an assignment in which either an argument or main point is essential (as is usually the case), address that issue first in your comments before you note any grammatical errors that the student should attend to.
• Refer students back to comments you wrote in the margins. For example, you might comment, “Your argument loses focus in the fourth paragraph (see my questions in margin).” You might also note a frequent pattern of mechanical error, then point them to a specific paragraph that contains that type of error.
• Model clear, concise writing. Before you write final comments, take a moment to gather and order your thoughts.
• Provide opportunities for revision. If you want students to improve their writing, give them an opportunity to apply what they have learned from your comments to a new, revised draft. Note: You should decide before the course begins whether you will allow students to revise their papers and, if so, when such revisions must be turned in (e.g., one week after papers handed back) and how you will grade the revision (e.g., average the grade of the revision with the grade earned on the original paper). If you decide not to allow students to revise papers, consider rewarding improvement from one paper to the next (e.g., the grade on the second paper is worth a greater percentage of the final course grade than the grade on the first paper).
• If students are struggling with their writing, suggest a meeting during office hours. Often, students who are struggling to write clearly are also struggling to clarify what they think about the course material. Ask questions that help them figure out what they think and how to put those thoughts into a well organized, effective paper.
• Recommend that students seek tutorial help at The Writing Center. At  The Writing Center , students can meet with writing tutors who will read their papers and provide feedback. Writing Center tutors are trained to provide students with feedback on the clarity of their writing in a general way and will not necessarily be familiar with the criteria you are using to grade papers, unless you or the student have shared those criteria. However, seeking such feedback can be very helpful to students as they learn to write for academic audiences.

Bean, J. C. (2011). Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Gottschalk, K. and K. Hjortshoj (2004). “What Can You Do with Student Writing?” In The Elements of Teaching Writing: A Resource for Instructors in All Disciplines. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Nicol, D. J., & Macfarlane‐Dick, D. (2006). Formative assessment and self‐regulated learning: A model and seven principles of good feedback practice. Studies  in higher education ,  31 (2), 199-218.

“Responding to Student Writing.” (2000). Harvard Writing Project Bulletin. The President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Straub, Richard. (2000). The Practice of Response: Strategies for Commenting on Student Writing. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.

223 Copy and Paste Final Report Card Comments

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

Learn about our Editorial Process

Hey, Teacher! Is it report writing time again?

Hopefully these comments for student report cards will come in helpful.

Copy and paste these report card comments for your students. It’ll save you time and heartache!

Read below for my full list of report card comment ideas:

Positive Comments

Use a few positive comments to show the strengths of the student and how they’ve improved recently.

Positive Attitude to Learning

• Comes to class every day ready and willing to learn.
• Has an inquisitive and engaged mind.
• Is excited to tackle her tasks every day.
• Likes to come to school and learn with her friends.
• Has a positive attitude to self-development.
• Tends to come into the classroom with a big smile and an open mind.
• Sets herself very high standards and strives to meet them each and every day.

Showing Improvement

• Is consistently improving.
• Is developing very well for her age.
• Has shown strong signs of growth in all learning areas.
• Has made clear and commendable gains.
• Improves each and every day.
• Her hard work and effort has paid off.

Positive Behavior

• Is always very well behaved during class time.
• Has a good ability to avoid peers who she sees may be distractions to her learning.
• Is always willing to listen to instructions.
• Is a very helpful and respectful student.
• Never misbehaves in class.
• Sets a good standard for classmates to follow.
• Is very good at following the rules.

Read Also: Words to Describe a Student

Shows Respect for Others

• Has a great deal of respect for all visitors to the classroom.
• Cares for and respects her classmates.
• Is always respectful to classroom equipment.
• Always puts her hand up and follows instructions.
• Is very considerate of others and often puts others’ needs and interests at the front of her mind.
• Is a very respectful and responsible classmate.
• Has proven to be a courteous and polite classmate.
• Is held in high regard for her kindness to others.
• Is a very outgoing, positive and upbeat student.
• Tackles every task with enthusiasm and self-belief.
• Is building her confidence more and more every day.
• Has shown remarkable growth in confidence this year.
• Has reached many achievements this year, which is reflected in her budding confidence.
• Is a self-assured young learner who is always willing to try something new.
• Can always be trusted with tasks assigned to her.
• Conducts herself with honesty and integrity at all times.
• Is trusted with school equipment including expensive computer technology.
• Is open, honest and upfront about her thoughts and beliefs.
• Shares thoughtful and genuine opinions during lessons.
• Is always willing to self-reflect and provide genuine analyses of her progress.

Self-Expression

• Is a very expressive and confident student.
• Has a great ability to express thoughts and feelings in writing.
• Is always willing to express herself in front of the class with a bold and confident voice.
• Has artistic talent and can articulate her thoughts through drawing and painting very well.
• Is a very articulate public speaker when talking about issues that she knows well.
• Is always willing to contribute her own thoughts and beliefs in class discussions.
• Uses her body and hand movements to express herself artistically.

High Motivation

• Has a great deal of intrinsic motivation . She’s a real go getter!
• Has bucket loads of initiative.
• Has an active mind and is eager to achieve.
• Comes to class with a huge willingness to participate.
• Never wants to waste a day in the classroom.
• Loves to soak up all the information around her.
• Is an ambitious and proactive student.
• Knows her goals and strives every day to achieve them.

Strong Communication Skills

• Projects her voice very well when communicating in class.
• Is effective at using the written word to express herself.
• Has a great deal of confidence when speaking to groups.
• Is very good at clearly and succinctly speaking up when she feels she has a valuable contribution.
• Consistently provides valuable contributions to class discussion.
• Is a skilled public speaker.
• Has shown great strides in written communication skills in recent months.

Is Neat and Tidy

• Always keeps her belongings neatly organized.
• Looks after her belongings very carefully.
• Always has neat book work which shows respect and high regard for her own work.
• Keeps her desk space very tidy, clean and organized.
• Takes pride in keeping her work neat, clean and tidy for every submission.
• Keeps her personal work spaces very well organized.

Good Listening Skills

• Is an active listener who is always ready to respond with relevant and engaging questions.
• Listens thoughtfully to other people’s ideas and contributes her own thoughtful ideas.
• Listens with an open mind to her classmates’ perspectives.
• Always listens intently with the hope of learning new things.
• Concentrates and pays close attention during demonstrations to ensure she understands task requirements.
• Takes directions well and is quick to apply directions to tasks.
• Is always attentive in class and asks for clarification when required.
• Is good at working in small groups unaided by a teacher.
• Listens intently to others and takes their opinions in mind.
• Excels when given leadership roles in small groups.
• Appears to thrive in group learning situations.
• Has developed strong skills in communicating in groups.
• Works productively in groups of all sizes to get tasks done.
• Has a knack for managing multiple personalities in group situations.
• Could work on sharing resources more fairly during group tasks.
• Needs to work on allowing other group members equal time to speak during group discussions.

Strong Organization and Time Management

• Always arrives to class on time with her books and is ready to learn.
• Is exceptionally good at completing tasks in a timely manner.
• Is a natural organizer and is often seen helping to get her peers organized and ready for tasks.
• Is always trusted to meet deadlines.
• Uses color coding and headings in her books effectively to organize her notes.
• Keeps a neat and organized work space at all times.

Good at Homework

• Always comes to class with very neat and well written homework.
• Tends to complete independent homework tasks with ease.
• Thrives with independent homework tasks, which are always presented in a timely manner.
• Comes to class with great questions based on the assigned homework tasks, showing thoughtfulness and independence.
• Can be trusted to complete her homework in time.
• Often asks for extra homework. She has shown great thirst for knowledge.

Read Also: 27 Pros and Cons of Homework

Strong Participation

• Is always willing to jump in and participate in any task.
• Is a great helper, always giving people a hand when she sees they are in need.
• Participates in all tasks, no matter her skill level. This enthusiasm is laudable.
• Always comes to class willing to get involved in the daily activities.
• Is always the first person to put their hand up to volunteer for a task.
• Loves to learn by getting involved and gaining first-hand experiences.
• Is beginning to develop her own interest and is eager to learn more about them.
• Has a strong personal interest in ________ and has been taking the initiative to explore the topic.
• Is very enthusiastic about ________ and has shown great promise in this area.
• Has picked a great extracurricular hobby of _____. Her skills learned in this hobby has helped to boost her confidence in the classroom.
• Shows interest in a variety of different topics which she has been enthusiastically exploring during free study time.
• Always finds personal interest in topics presented in class.

Independence

• Is showing increasing independence to learn and study without the need for excessive guidance.
• Is a fiercely independent person who knows what she wants and goes out to get it.
• Has an independent and free spirited mind.
• Is not afraid to go against the majority if she is certain of her beliefs and thoughts.
• Happily goes about her tasks independently but seeks help when required.
• Shows confidence striking out on her own to do things she is interested in.

Strong Learning and Thinking Skills

• Is very resourceful and uses the internet, books and peers to find new knowledge.
• Is aware of her learning styles and makes every effort to work to her strengths as a student.
• Uses higher-order thinking strategies like analysis and critique to question assumptions.
• Knows when she needs help and asks for it willingly.
• Thinks deeply about her responses before providing them.
• Is very good at reflecting on her weaknesses and working on them to grow as a person.
• Is great at solving problems using her own initiative.

Good Attention to Detail

• Pays close attention to the details of a tasks so that she doesn’t miss anything.
• Is very systematic about going about her tasks so she can complete them thoroughly.
• Is great at identifying small and nuanced mistakes in her own work.
• Always creates very presentable and professional looking pieces of work.
• Has great self-reflection skills , being able to identify her own strengths and weaknesses.
• Can pause and look at her own work to identify areas for improvement.
• Has the ability to stop and change course when she identifies areas for improvement.
• Is very good at identifying and repairing errors in drafts.
• Has exercised great thoughtfulness about her own capabilities.
• Has shown the ability to empathize with classmates and show great compassion.

Perseverance and Determination

• Shows great determination when is set a challenging task.
• Perseveres through difficulties to achieve her goals.
• Is resilient in the face of significant challenges and problems presented.
• Will always work through struggles and come out the other end more confident and skilled.

Constructive Comments

Present constructive comments to show the areas for improvement for the student. Carefully craft the comments so they’re not overly upsetting or impersonal.

Negative Attitude to Learning

• Occasionally needs special assistance to stay on task.
• Requires some coaxing to complete tasks.
• Is at times distracted or uninterested in learning.
• Is working on paying more attention to her tasks.
• Has some off days where she is uninterested in learning.
• Is easily distracted by friends.
• Will often come to class unwilling to contribute to group discussions.

Needs Improvement

• Needs to work on focus and concentration during class time.
• Has improved in some areas, but continues to slip behind in others.
• Is showing some lack of focus and is slipping behind in some subjects.
• There is still a lot of room for growth and we are working on improving her focus and drive in coming months.
• It would be great to see some improvement in her weakest subjects in the future.
• I would like to see her asking for help when stuck on tasks.

Disruptive Behavior

• Can occasionally disrupt her friends and classmates.
• Is at times a distraction to other students.
• Can be unsettled when entering the class after breaks.
• Can be talkative during quiet times and individual tasks.
• Could work on being more considerate to other classmates.
• Has had a difficult time getting comfortable in class this year.
• Has at times sought undue attention and distracted the flow of lessons.

Read Also: 13 Best Classroom Management Theories

Low Motivation

• Sometimes struggles to engage in class discussions.
• Requires a lot of external rewards to get focused.
• Works well below her capabilities due to lack of motivation to do her best.
• Relies heavily on extrinsic motivation. It would be great to see more intrinsic desire to succeed in coming months.
• Struggles to find things she is interested in.
• Has trouble getting engaged and interested in class topics.
• Will respond well to rewards but struggles to use initiative.
• Needs to dig deep and find greater motivation to learn in coming months.

Is Not Neat and Tidy

• Occasionally presents work that is messy and difficult to read.
• I would like to see her paying more attention to neatness in her writing.
• It would be great to see her showing more care for her workspace to ensure all her belongings are well cared for.
• At times comes to class disheveled and disorganized.
• Presents homework that is untidy and appears to have been rushed.
• Needs to work on ensuring her work is presentable, neat, and error-free.

Weak Communication Skills

• Speaks very softly. An area for improvement is speaking up in class discussions.
• Could work some more on communicating her opinions during discussions.
• Is often shy and intimidated when asked to speak up in class discussions.
• Needs coaxing to share her thoughts in class.
• Can work on being clearer when expressing her thoughts in writing.
• I look forward to seeing further development in expressing her thoughts in class.

Poor Listening Skills

• Has had some trouble paying attention to others during class discussions.
• Has some trouble listening to peers and teachers.
• Is easily distracted during class discussions.
• Is a good talker but needs to work on pausing and listening to others more attentively.
• Is often fidgety and distracted when spoken to.
• Is often resistant to make eye contact and be responsive when spoken to.
• Has trouble repeating and remembering instructions.

Read Also: 47 Best Classroom Rules for Middle and High School

Weak Organization and Time Management

• Tends to leave tasks to the last minute.
• Often submits incomplete drafts due to poor time management.
• Is often disorganized and forgets important school supplies.
• Has submitted homework late on several occasions.
• Could work on using her time more efficiently to complete tasks in allotted time periods.
• I would like to see her working on her organizational skills in coming months so she can use her class time more efficiently.

Bad at Homework

• Will often skip assigned homework tasks.
• Regularly forgets to bring homework to school.
• Her homework is often brought to class incomplete and rushed.
• Is often seen completing homework tasks the morning before they are due.
• I would like to see her working on setting aside more time for homework in the coming months.
• Is good at class work, but needs more initiative to complete her weekly homework in a timely manner.

Poor Attention to Detail

• Could be getting higher grades if she edited her work more carefully before submission.
• Will sometimes make mistakes due to distractedness and carelessness.
• Has started to let carelessness seep into his work for the past few months.
• Often does not pay enough attention to test questions, leading to small unforced errors.

Preschool and Kindergarten Comments

Here are some great comments specifically for children in the early years of their development.

Play Based Learning – Strong

• Plays well with other children.
• Shares resources with her peers during play time.
• Has begun to develop cooperative play skills such as sharing and taking turns.
• Is a creative and imaginative learner.
• Engages in strong exploratory and discovery play behaviors without prompting.
• Is enthusiastic and engaged when given developmentally appropriate resources to play with.
• Thrives in unstructured play environments where she can explore, learn and discover in her own time.
• Has started to use extended vocabulary well during play scenarios.
• Is great at taking measured risks during play which reveals great self-confidence for her age.

Play Based Learning – Needs Improvement

• Plays in parallel with other children, but needs to start developing cooperative play strategies in the coming months.
• Is good at solitary play, but needs more practice sharing and playing with other students.
• Is curious about playing with others, but often sits back due to shyness.
• Needs encouragement to use more language skills during play-based learning .
• Struggles to take turns when playing with others.

Strong Development

• Is developing in an age appropriate way and continues to show good progress.
• Has visibly developed fine and gross motor skills during class sessions.
• Is using language at an age appropriate level.
• Is starting to move out of her comfort zone to explore more and more new challenges.
• Is socially, cognitively and physically on track for transition to school.

Socialization

• Has shown remarkable strides in communication skills at preschool.
• Plays well with others.
• Is a thoughtful and kind student who plays well with others.
• Always shares and thinks about others during play scenarios.
• Is a popular student who finds it very easy to make friends with other children.
• Has been seen to show some great emerging leadership skills during play scenarios.
• Is very happy to play in groups and learn from peers .

Final Thoughts

I will often start with a comment bank like the one above. For each student, I’ll copy four or five of the most suitable statements.

But, I will also follow-up my generic comment from the comment bank with a specific example for the parents to read.

Parents do like to see that you have provided specific and thoughtful statements – so don’t forget to use the student’s name and specific anecdotes as much as possible.

I do hope this comment bank for report card comments has come in handy for you.

Remember to also maintain a positive but honest and constructive voice when writing.

If there is serious concern that might be difficult to express in writing, you should arrange for a parent-teacher conference to have a discussion and see how things progress.

Good luck with your report card writing!

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 10 Reasons you’re Perpetually Single
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 20 Montessori Toddler Bedrooms (Design Inspiration)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 21 Montessori Homeschool Setups
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 101 Hidden Talents Examples

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How to Write Effective Essay Comments

Pennington Publishing Writing Programs Integrated Writing and Grammar.

Conscientious teachers know that merely completing a holistic rubric and totaling the score for a grade is not effective essay response or writing assessment. Teachers may choose to grade and/or respond with essay comments after the rough draft and/or after the final draft. Using the types of comments that match the teacher’s instructional objectives is essential. Additionally, keeping in mind the key components of written discourse can balance responses between form and content. Finally, most writing instructors include closing comments to emphasize and summarize their responses.

Of course, the real world problem that conscientious teachers face is time. Responding to multiple drafts with effective writing feedback is time-consuming and, at times, mind-numbing.

Writing instructors classify the types of essay comments as following: corrective, directive, and facilitative responses.

Corrective responses are copy edits. Using proofreading diacritical marks, abbreviations, or short phrases, teachers identify mistakes in syntax, usage, mechanics, and spelling. Some teachers simply mark errors; others provide more prescriptive comments as to what is wrong and why it is wrong, and how to correct the writing issue.

Directive responses deal with both form and content. With directive responses, the teacher gives specific direction to the writer. The goal is to provide expert advice to the writer. For example, “Your thesis does not respond to the writing prompt. Re-read the writing assignment and re-write your thesis statement to specifically address the writing task.” Generally, directive response is used with matters of structure and writing style.

Facilitative comments also deal with both form and content. Using the Socratic model, comments are worded as thought-provoking questions. The goal is to make the writer responsible for writing decision-making. For example, “Is there a different type of evidence that would help to prove your point?” Generally, facilitative response is used to respond to the content and/or argument of the essay.

Writing instructors classify the key components of writing discourse as following: Essay Organization and Development (Introduction, Body, and Conclusion), Coherence, Word Choice, Sentence Variety, Writing Style, Format and Citations, Parts of Speech, Grammatical Forms, Usage, Sentence Structure, Types of Sentences, Mechanics, and Conventional Spelling Rules.

Many teachers use these components in holistic or analytical rubrics and provide separate evaluation for each.

Closing comments are usually used to personalize the overall writing comments. Closing comments may summarize the essay comments, emphasize a positive or negative in the writing, refer to the writer’s progress, provide brief praise or encouragement, or assign the overall grade

To improve writing feedback and integrate writing and grammar in step-by-step programs, check out Pennington Publishing . View entire programs and test-drive our free resources.

Literacy Centers , Study Skills , Writing analytical rubrics , descriptive feedback , e-grading , editing comments , essay feedback , essay grading , essay revision , essay rubrics , how to grade essays , Mark Pennington , on demand writing , Teaching Essay Strategies , Teaching Grammar and Mechanics , timed writing , writing comments , writing feedback , writing remarks , writing rubrics

The radiality of Essay Writing Tips is mostly overlooked by the students in rush to meet the deadlines.

Thank you, very much helpful.

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Recent Articles

• Language Comprehension Literacy Knowledge October 21, 2024
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• Middle School Reading Intervention June 16, 2024
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• Free Science of Reading Lessons | ELL January 2, 2024
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