Term 3 closes on Friday 23 October, and for most teachers that means a pile of report cards in the final week. The comment box is small, the class is large, and it is tempting to write "Good work, keep it up" forty times.
But for many families, the end of year report is the only written feedback they read all year. A comment that a parent understands, and can act on over the December holiday, is worth more than any grade letter on the page. This guide is about writing those comments quickly without making them meaningless.
Start with the levels, in plain words
Many parents still read CBC performance levels as if they were the old marks and positions. They are not, and a sentence of explanation saves a lot of confusion. Here is how the four levels can be put in words a parent will follow.
| Level | What it means | How to say it to a parent |
|---|---|---|
| EE, Exceeding Expectations | Goes beyond what the learning outcome asks | "Your child can do this and more, and applies it in new situations." |
| ME, Meeting Expectations | Achieves the learning outcome | "Your child can do what was expected at this grade." |
| AE, Approaching Expectations | Partly achieves the outcome, with some support | "Your child is close, and can do this with some help." |
| BE, Below Expectations | Not yet achieving the outcome | "Your child is not there yet and needs more practice and support." |
Some schools and grades use sub-levels within each band. Follow the scale on your school's report template, but the plain language idea stays the same: say what the child can do, not only which box they landed in.
The single most important message for parents is that ME is a good result. Many parents read anything below EE as failure. One short line on the report, such as "ME means your child has met the expected standard for the grade", prevents a lot of anxious phone calls.
The three-part comment
A useful comment fits in two or three sentences and has three parts:
- One specific strength. Not "good", but what exactly: "reads aloud with expression", "sets out working clearly in Mathematics".
- One specific next step. The single thing that would move the learner up a level: "needs to check units in measurement answers".
- One thing a parent can do at home. Short, cheap and realistic: "ask her to read a page to you three evenings a week".
That third part is the one most often left out, and it is the one parents value most. A parent who reads "needs to improve in Kiswahili" has nowhere to go. A parent who reads "practise writing short insha of about 100 words at home" does.
A comment bank you can adapt
Comment banks get a bad name because they are used word for word. Used as a starting point, with one detail changed for each learner, they save hours. These are written to be edited, not pasted.
| Level | Strength | Next step | At home |
|---|---|---|---|
| EE | Explains her reasoning confidently and helps others in group work | Ready for more open-ended problems and longer written answers | Encourage reading beyond school books, such as newspapers or library books |
| EE | Produces careful, original work in Creative Arts | Can take on more independent projects | Give space and simple materials to keep creating over the holiday |
| ME | Completes classwork accurately and on time | Should show working fully, not just final answers | Ask him to explain one homework answer to you aloud |
| ME | Reads fluently at grade level | Work on answering "why" questions about a text | After reading together, ask one "why" question |
| AE | Tries hard and participates willingly | Needs more practice with multiplication facts | Ten minutes of times tables most days, spoken aloud |
| AE | Understands ideas when explained in conversation | Needs to write fuller sentences in answers | Ask her to write two sentences about her day each evening |
| BE | Is willing and responds well to one-to-one help | Needs support with reading simple words and sentences | Read together daily for fifteen minutes, pointing at each word |
| BE | Is improving in attendance and confidence | Needs to catch up on number work from earlier in the year | Practise counting and simple sums using everyday items at home |
What to avoid
- Empty praise. "Good", "excellent", "keep it up" tell a parent nothing they can use. Add one specific detail.
- Labels about character. "Lazy", "playful", "slow" stick to a child and are rarely the full story. Describe the behaviour instead: "often does not finish written tasks in the time given".
- Jargon. "Has not achieved the specific learning outcome in the strand" is accurate and unreadable. Say what the child cannot yet do.
- Comparisons with classmates. CBC assesses a child against the expected standard, not against the rest of the class. Positions and rankings do not belong in a CBC comment.
- Surprises. If a learner is at BE in a learning area, the report card should not be the first time the parent hears it. If it is, add a line inviting them to come and talk.
- Copy and paste errors. A comment with the wrong name or pronoun undoes the goodwill of the whole report. Read each one once before signing.
Writing forty comments without losing a weekend
Group learners by level per learning area first, then write the comments in batches. Learners at the same level often need the same next step, so you can write that part once and change the strength for each child.
Use your end of term papers. A specific error pattern from the exam, such as missing units or skipping the second part of a question, makes a far better next step than a general statement. Our guide on turning end of Term 3 papers into useful feedback covers how to pull those patterns out quickly.
Finally, think about the parents evening. Parents who read a clear comment arrive with better questions. You can even point them to our list of questions parents ask at Term 3 meetings, so you know what to expect.
Frequently asked questions
Should I write the level letters or the full words?
Both, at least once. Write "ME (Meeting Expectations)" the first time so parents who are new to CBC can follow the rest of the report.
How long should each comment be?
Two or three sentences is enough: one strength, one next step and one home activity. Longer is not better if the box is small.
Is it acceptable to use a comment bank?
Yes, as a starting point. Change at least one detail for each learner so the comment is clearly about that child.
What if a parent disagrees with a level?
Invite them in and show the learner's work alongside the rubric. Evidence settles most disagreements quickly.
If you want ready practice material to suggest for the December holiday, each Term 3 Complete Bundle (Grade 7 shown; every grade has its own in the shop) gives parents structured work to follow up on the next steps you have written.
KJSEA and KPSEA: 14 days to the first paper
The Grade 9 KJSEA course covers all 9 learning areas for KSH 400. The Grade 6 KPSEA course covers all 5 subjects for KSH 300. Notes, worked examples, topical questions and full marking schemes in both.
⏳ Only 14 days to the national assessments on 26 October. Start now.
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