Marking and feedback in primary schools with a particular focus on pupil responses

In primary schools, teachers are currently implementing a short, designated response session for pupils to respond to feedback. This is integrated into the timetable regularly for pupils to implement feedback within the same piece of writing rather than through lessons redrafting or applying into future pieces of writing.

This study arose in response to very few research studies considering not only the whole feedback cycle incorporating this designated response session, but also the lack of research on the skills/strategies pupils use when developing their written response and the range/type of pupil written improvement responses produced. It focuses specifically on the skill/strategy use and the types of responses Year 5 pupils (differing abilities) produce as part of the designated session.

This qualitative study provides the breadth and depth required to understand the whole feedback cycle including pupil and teacher perceptions. The new improvement response typology and skills/strategies framework identify how improvement responses are developed as well as the type of responses being produced.

One key finding shows that pupils use a range of skills/strategies that are not always identifiable through the final response outcome thus remaining hidden to teachers. Pupils base the formulation and production of their improvement response around a structure of Planning, Organising, Responding and Evaluating of which they use skills/strategies within some or all these stages. Pupils use this as a non-linear process moving between different stages at various points of their response.

This study suggests that once teachers have identified the main feedback message(s), they should deploy a backward design to consider the response outcome, the type of improvement response suggested (including engagement, challenge, expectations, and choice) and the skills/strategies required to achieve this leading to the final written feedback comment with shared next steps.