Australian Secondary Report Comments, Years 7-10
In Australian secondary schools, subject teachers and home group or mentor teachers write learning behaviour comments for reports that families receive at least twice a year, commonly at the end of each semester, and some schools add a Term 1 progress report. Many reports rate learning behaviours or work habits separately from subject results, often on a frequency scale; the ACT procedure uses Consistently, Usually, Sometimes and Rarely for work habits.
Each page below covers one skill for one grade band, with sample strengths and next steps at every level and tips for writing your own. These comments are written for the learning behaviour comments of subject teachers and home group or mentor teachers on an Australian secondary school report.
Comments by skill and grade band
| Skill | Years 7-8 | Years 9-10 |
|---|---|---|
| Effort and Engagement | Effort and Engagement, Years 7-8 | Effort and Engagement, Years 9-10 |
| Organisation and Work Completion | Organisation and Work Completion, Years 7-8 | Organisation and Work Completion, Years 9-10 |
| Independent Learning | Independent Learning, Years 7-8 | Independent Learning, Years 9-10 |
| Critical and Creative Thinking | Critical and Creative Thinking, Years 7-8 | Critical and Creative Thinking, Years 9-10 |
| Collaboration and Communication | Collaboration and Communication, Years 7-8 | Collaboration and Communication, Years 9-10 |
| Respect and Responsibility | Respect and Responsibility, Years 7-8 | Respect and Responsibility, Years 9-10 |
| Self-Management and Resilience | Self-Management and Resilience, Years 7-8 | Self-Management and Resilience, Years 9-10 |
Also: opening and closing sentences for each report period.
The 4 comment levels
| Code | Level |
|---|---|
| C | Consistently |
| U | Usually |
| S | Sometimes |
| R | Rarely |
Let frequency words carry the rating. Consistently suits reliably, independently or without being asked; Usually suits generally or with few reminders; Sometimes suits at times or when prompted. For Rarely, describe what is emerging and the support that helps, such as weekly check-ins with the year adviser. Show the behaviour you saw rather than restating the rating.
Tips for secondary report comments
- Keep learning behaviours separate from subject results, which sit elsewhere on the report. Describe how the student works, such as starting tasks promptly, acting on feedback or meeting assessment task deadlines, and leave marks and results out of the comment entirely.
- Teenagers often read their own reports, so write for them as well as parents and carers. Describe behaviour rather than personality, avoid labels, and give one next step the student can own, such as recording each task in the diary the day it is set.
- Subject teachers see one class; home group or mentor teachers see the whole week. As a subject teacher, cite evidence from your own room, like bookwork or practical lessons. As a mentor, draw patterns across subjects from the diary and colleagues' notes.
This site shows 196 of the 1,407 sentences in the pack. Not affiliated with or endorsed by ACARA or any state or territory education department or curriculum authority. References to the Australian Curriculum are for identification only.
How these sentences were made, and what has been checked: About these comments.