Five Mistakes in Queensland Report Comments, and How to Fix Them

Most weak Queensland report comments fail in one of five predictable ways. Each one is easy to spot in a proofread and quick to fix. Here they are, with a fix for each.

1. The comment and the result disagree

A comment that reads like an A next to a C (or the reverse) is the mistake parents notice most. Match the language to the result: "sound" and "meets" for C, "thorough" and "effective" for B, "insightful" and "evaluates" for A, "with support" for D.

Fix: write the result at the top of your notes for each student and re-read the comment against it before you save.

2. It could be about anyone

"Sophie is a pleasant student who tries hard in all areas" tells a family nothing.

Fix: include one piece of evidence: a task, a project or a moment from class. "Sophie's report on the Great Barrier Reef explained three threats to coral and what people are doing about them."

3. Curriculum language leaks in

Content description codes, "ACiQ", "achievement standard" and "elaborations" are words for teachers. Families need the idea, not the label.

Fix: translate. "Uses evidence from texts to support an opinion" says the same thing as the standard, in words a parent can use.

4. The next step is not a step

"Needs to keep working hard" and "continue to develop his skills" are not goals anyone can act on.

Fix: name one skill, small enough to teach next term. "Check his working in multi-step problems by estimating first."

5. It does not fit the box

Comments that run long get cut off or trimmed in a hurry on the last night. Most Queensland schools set a word or character limit for OneSchool or their reporting system.

Fix: know the limit before you start. Around 70 to 100 words covers knowledge, evidence and a next step comfortably.

A quick before and after

For a full worked example, read anatomy of a Queensland report comment.