Report card comments: how to write them for A–E reporting (with examples)

What Australian reports must include

Every Australian school that receives Commonwealth funding has to give parents a written report on each student at least twice a year. For Years 1 to 10, the report must be readily understandable and give a grade for each subject studied, using A, B, C, D and E or an equivalent five-point scale. That requirement sits in the Commonwealth education regulations (the Australian Education Regulations 2023, which replaced the 2013 regulations), and each state and sector then sets its own rules on how reports look.

Written comments are usually a school or sector decision rather than a legal requirement. NSW, for example, says Kindergarten reports may describe progress through teacher comments instead of grades, and leaves the format of comments to schools. Victorian government schools must report a teacher judgement against the Victorian Curriculum, an indication of progress since the last report and a five-point scale, consistent with the department's model reports. In practice almost every school asks for a comment per learning area, a general comment, or both.

What each grade means, and how the comment should sound

The single most common problem parents notice is a comment that doesn't match the grade: a glowing paragraph beside a D, or a lukewarm one beside an A. The NSW Common Grade Scale gives a useful vocabulary that most states echo. A means extensive knowledge and understanding and the ability to apply skills in new situations. B is thorough, C is sound knowledge of the main areas, D is basic and E is elementary knowledge in a few areas. In Queensland and most Australian Curriculum states, C is the expected standard for the year level, not a 'pass' or a disappointment.

The structure that works: achievement, evidence, next step

Example comments for every achievement level

These examples are written for a mid-primary or lower secondary student and can be adapted to any learning area. Replace [Name] with the student's first name and adjust pronouns. For full subject banks, see English comments, maths comments and science and HASS comments.

A: well above the standard

• [Name] has demonstrated an extensive understanding of all the concepts covered this semester. They apply their knowledge confidently to unfamiliar problems and explain their reasoning with precision. [Name]'s next step is to pursue extension tasks that ask them to justify more than one possible solution.
• [Name] consistently produces work of a very high standard. They think critically, ask insightful questions and draw links between ideas without prompting. To extend their learning further, [Name] could take on more open-ended investigations and reflect on how they evaluate their own work.
• [Name] has excelled this semester, showing sophisticated understanding and the ability to transfer skills to new contexts. Their work in our recent unit was thorough, accurate and thoughtfully presented. [Name] is encouraged to keep challenging themselves by setting personal goals beyond the year-level expectations.

B: above the standard

• [Name] has shown a thorough understanding of the key concepts this semester and completes tasks accurately and independently. They contribute well-considered ideas to class discussions. [Name]'s next step is to explain their thinking in more depth, using evidence to support each point.
• [Name] is a capable and confident learner who has achieved a high standard. They apply new skills accurately and are beginning to tackle more complex tasks. To move further, [Name] should review their work carefully before submitting to catch small errors.
• [Name] has made strong progress and works at a level above the year-level expectation. Their work is well organised and clearly presented. [Name] would benefit from taking more risks with challenging questions rather than choosing tasks they know they can complete.

C: at the expected standard

• [Name] has achieved a sound understanding of the main concepts covered this semester. They can complete familiar tasks accurately and are developing confidence with less familiar ones. [Name]'s next step is to ask for clarification earlier when a task feels difficult.
• [Name] is working at the expected standard and has made steady progress. They participate willingly in class activities and complete set work. To build on this, [Name] should practise explaining how they reached an answer, not just the answer itself.
• [Name] has demonstrated solid skills this semester and meets the year-level expectations. Their work shows a good grasp of the key ideas. [Name] is encouraged to add more detail and examples to their written responses.

D: working towards the standard

• [Name] is developing a basic understanding of the key concepts covered this semester. With support, they can complete familiar tasks and have shown improvement in [skill]. [Name]'s next step is to practise [specific skill] regularly, and they will continue to receive targeted support in class.
• [Name] is working towards the expected standard. They are most successful when tasks are broken into smaller steps, and they have shown real effort in persisting with new work. At home, [Name] would benefit from short, regular practice of [specific skill].
• [Name] has made progress this semester, particularly in [area], and is beginning to apply strategies with teacher guidance. Their next step is to use a checklist to complete each part of a task independently.

E: well below the standard

• [Name] is at an early stage of developing the skills expected for this year level. With significant support, they can [specific achievement]. [Name] is supported through [intervention or adjustment], and their next step is to [one small, concrete goal].
• [Name] has found much of this semester's work challenging. They have shown they can [specific achievement] when working one-on-one, which is a positive foundation. We will continue to focus on [one skill], and I'd welcome a conversation about how we can support [Name] together.

How long should a report comment be?

Most schools set a character or word limit in their reporting software, so check that first. Without one, aim for 50 to 100 words per learning area and 80 to 150 words for a general or pastoral comment. Under 40 words rarely leaves room for evidence and a next step; over 150 words per subject and parents stop reading. Secondary teachers with large classes often write shorter, sharper subject comments (40 to 70 words) because the general comment is written by a homegroup teacher.

Tone: honest, specific and kind

Parents read reports looking for two things: is my child okay, and what do I do next? Comments that are honest about where the student is, and warm about who they are, answer both. Write about the learning, not the child's character: 'is developing accuracy with subtraction' rather than 'is careless'. Use the positive form of the next step: 'to read instructions fully before starting' rather than 'stop rushing'.

Keep jargon out. A parent won't know what 'ACMNA' or 'inferential comprehension' means; they will understand 'can work out what a character is feeling from clues in the text'. If you must use a term like 'persuasive text' or 'place value', make the sentence explain it. Our positive report card comments page has phrasing that is warm without being empty.

Common mistakes that cause report rewrites

Writing general comments

The general comment, written by the class or homegroup teacher, covers the whole child: effort, organisation, relationships, behaviour, resilience and wellbeing, plus one or two goals. It shouldn't repeat the learning-area comments. In primary school it is often the first thing parents read. We have a full bank of general comments for primary school, Prep to Year 6.

Doing it faster without cutting corners

A class of 28 with seven learning areas plus a general comment is more than 220 comments. The fastest teachers gather evidence as they go, group students by grade before writing, start from a bank of their own good comments and personalise every one. AI tools can draft comments well if you give them specific notes and keep personal information out. Our step-by-step guide to writing reports faster covers the full workflow, and if reports are eating your weekends, it's worth knowing your workload rights.