Working Independently Report Comments, Years 3-6 (Australia)
Working Independently is about listening to and following instructions, staying on task during learning time, having a go and trying strategies before asking for help, and checking and improving work without close supervision.
Below are 13 sample sentences for Years 3-6: two strengths and one next step for each of the 4 comment levels (Consistently / Usually / Sometimes / Rarely), plus a tip for families. They are a small selection from the 176 working independently sentences in the full pack. Copy one, then add a detail only you know about the student.
Jump to: Consistently · Usually · Sometimes · Rarely · Writing tips
Fills in the name and pronouns on this page. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Consistently C
Strengths
- [Name] edits and improves [his/her/their] drafts independently, using peer feedback to make thoughtful changes to [his/her/their] writing.
- After a short explanation, [Name] gets started independently and refers to the written steps on the board rather than asking what to do next.
Next step
- [Name] could create a quick visual guide for opening and organising class files on a device.
Usually U
Strengths
- Using peer feedback, [Name] regularly makes changes to [his/her/their] drafts, such as adding detail or fixing punctuation.
- Once the lesson introduction is over, [Name] generally settles into the task with few reminders and keeps going.
Next step
- [Name] can strengthen [his/her/their] editing by quietly reading each draft aloud to catch errors before asking for peer feedback.
Sometimes S
Strengths
- When prompted, [Name] uses peer feedback to make some changes to [his/her/their] drafts, such as fixing punctuation or adding a detail.
- After whole-class instructions, [Name] sometimes begins without a check-in, and a quick teacher prompt helps on other occasions.
Next step
- Listing the steps of an assignment in a diary and ticking each one off will help [Name] stay on track.
Rarely R
Strengths
- After peer feedback, [Name] is beginning to make a change to [his/her/their] draft with adult support.
- [Name] is beginning to listen to the end of an instruction before starting, which is helping [him/her/them] complete tasks correctly.
Next step
- A next step for [Name] is to choose one item from the success criteria and check [his/her/their] work for that item with adult support.
Support at home
- Parents and carers can praise [Name] for having a go at something new, even when the first attempt is not perfect.
How to write working independently comments for Years 3-6
- Comment on how learning time is used during independent tasks such as research or extended writing, and whether the student self-corrects using success criteria, feedback or an editing checklist.
- Say what the student tries before asking for help, like rereading the task, checking notes or looking at an example, rather than only whether they ask. This separates healthy help-seeking from dependence.
- For lower ratings, suggest breaking tasks into chunks with a timer or short checkpoint, and describe what focused work looked like when it went well so the student can repeat it.
Watch out: Independence comments often drift into effort or emotions. Keep the focus on following instructions, staying on task and self-checking; a student who gets upset when stuck is better described under Self-Management.
The labels describe how often a behaviour happens, so match your wording to the frequency: Consistently suits reliably or without being asked, Usually suits generally or with few reminders, Sometimes suits at times or when prompted, and Rarely suits is beginning to or with adult support. Name the behaviour you saw rather than restating the rating.
What Working Independently covers
In these comments, working independently covers these behaviours:
- listens to and follows instructions
- stays on task and uses learning time well
- attempts tasks and tries strategies before asking for help
- checks and improves own work with minimal supervision
More Australia comments
- Effort and Engagement, Years 3-6
- Organisation, Years 3-6
- Working Independently, Foundation-Year 2
- Working with Others, Years 3-6
- Respect and Behaviour, Years 3-6
- Self-Management, Years 3-6
- Opening and closing sentences
- All Australia skills and grade bands
- Build a comment with the comment picker
How these sentences were made, and what has been checked: About these comments.