An essay feedback comment bank saves the structure of a comment and leaves the judgement to you. This library has a strength comment and a next-step comment for 11 common rubric criteria, plus four general comments. Each one has brackets to fill in, mostly with evidence from the student’s essay, so none is ready to post as it stands.
This guide covers comments on essays and assignments while you mark. End-of-term reports are a different job, written for families; for those, use the report card comment bank.
Build each comment from criterion, evidence and next step
A useful comment names the rubric criterion, points to something specific in the essay and, where needed, says what to do next. “Good analysis” does none of this. “Analysis: after the quotation in paragraph 3, explain how it supports your claim” does all three.
The shortcut supplies the criterion label and the sentence frame. You supply the evidence: a quotation, a paragraph number or a short paraphrase. Limit each essay to one or two next steps, so the student knows what to work on first.
A shortcut never supplies a grade or a rubric level. Decide the level after reading the essay, then choose the comment that explains it.
Download the essay feedback library
Download all 26 feedback comments (CSV). Each shortcut starts with ;fb-. A shortcut ending in -s inserts a strength, and one ending in -n inserts a next step. The file uses AfterDelimiter and imports with every comment disabled.
- Export your existing snippet library as a backup.
- Import the CSV into Text Replacements for Windows. If a shortcut already exists in your library, the import skips it.
- Rename the shortcuts to match your rubric. If your rubric numbers its criteria,
;fb-c2-nmay be easier to remember than a name. Shortcuts cannot contain spaces. - Adapt the wording to your subject and age group, then enable the comments you will use.
- Test one in a copy of a student file or a test submission: type the shortcut, press Space and check the result.
Brackets such as [paragraph] are ordinary text. The app does not fill them in or move the cursor to them, so replace each one by hand.
Comment bank by rubric criterion
These are sentence frames, not finished feedback. The label at the start of each comment names the criterion; change it to the wording your rubric uses.
| Shortcut | Comment frame |
|---|---|
;fb-thesis-s | Thesis: your main claim, [quote or paraphrase], is clear and arguable. You return to it in [paragraph or section], which keeps the essay focused. |
;fb-thesis-n | Thesis, next step: make your main claim more specific. At the moment it reads [quote]. Revise it so a reader knows [what is missing: your position, scope or main reason]. |
;fb-evidence-s | Evidence: in [paragraph], you support your point with [quotation, data or example], and it fits the claim closely. |
;fb-evidence-n | Evidence, next step: support [specific claim] in [paragraph] with a quotation, example or data from [source or text]. At the moment the point rests on assertion. |
;fb-analysis-s | Analysis: you explain how [evidence] supports your point, especially where you write [quote]. |
;fb-analysis-n | Analysis, next step: after [quotation or example] in [paragraph], explain how it supports your claim. Ask yourself what it shows and why that matters for your argument. |
;fb-structure-s | Structure: the order of your paragraphs builds the argument, for example the move from [point A] to [point B]. |
;fb-structure-n | Structure, next step: [paragraph] [repeats or interrupts] [point]. Try moving it [where] or merging it with [paragraph] so each step follows from the last. |
;fb-para-s | Paragraphs: [paragraph] opens with a clear topic sentence and stays with one idea. |
;fb-para-n | Paragraphs, next step: start [paragraph] with a sentence that states its point, then keep the rest of the paragraph on that point. |
;fb-counter-s | Counterargument: you deal fairly with [opposing view] and explain why your position still holds. |
;fb-counter-n | Counterargument, next step: add one objection a reader might raise, such as [possible objection], and respond to it. |
;fb-cite-s | Sources: your citations in [section] follow [style guide] consistently. |
;fb-cite-n | Sources, next step: [quotation or idea] in [paragraph] needs a citation in [style guide] format. Check [specific rule or resource]. |
;fb-conv-s | Conventions: your [spelling, punctuation or sentence control] is accurate, which keeps the argument easy to follow. |
;fb-conv-n | Conventions, next step: check for [specific pattern] in [paragraph]. I have marked one example; find and correct the others. |
;fb-style-s | Style: your [word choice or tone] suits [audience or task], for example [quote]. |
;fb-style-n | Style, next step: [quote] is [too informal, vague or wordy] for this task. Rewrite it in [register needed]. |
;fb-concl-s | Conclusion: you return to your thesis in [quote or paraphrase] and show what the argument adds up to. |
;fb-concl-n | Conclusion, next step: instead of repeating [point], explain what your argument means for [question, text or wider issue]. |
;fb-task-s | Task: you answer the question directly, especially in [paragraph]. |
;fb-task-n | Task, next step: [section] moves away from the question. Link it back to [key term in the question] or cut it. |
;fb-overall | Overall: your strongest feature is [criterion, with evidence]. Your main priority for the next draft is [one next step]. |
;fb-rubric | Rubric: this comment relates to [criterion name or number], currently at [level descriptor]. To reach [next level], [specific action]. |
;fb-redraft | Revision: please revise [section] using the comments marked [label or colour], then resubmit by [date] through [submission route]. |
;fb-ask | Question: what would your argument lose if [paragraph or evidence] were removed? Use your answer to [revision action]. |
Insert comments in Word, PDFs and your LMS
In Word, select the passage and press Ctrl+Alt+M to open a new comment. Type the shortcut, press Space and replace the brackets. In Word’s modern comments, Enter does not post the comment: select Post or press Ctrl+Enter when it is finished (Microsoft Support).
PDF annotators and OneNote have their own comment and note boxes. Try one shortcut in a copy of a file before marking a class set. If a box does not accept it, write the comment in a blank document and paste it.
In a browser-based LMS, press Space to expand a shortcut in Chrome or Edge. Tab and Enter do not trigger expansion in web pages. After the first comment, check that the field kept the formatting and did not cut the text short.
Some platforms have a comment bank of their own: Google Classroom keeps one in its grading tool, and Canvas has a Comment Library in SpeedGrader. If you mark only on one platform, its own bank may be enough. A Windows shortcut library helps when the same comments go into Word files, PDFs and the LMS.
Keep student information out of the bank
The comments address the student as “you” and contain no names. Keep names, student numbers, grades and health or support information out of reusable entries, and record assessments in your school’s approved system.
Text Replacements saves the library on your PC and has no account or cloud sync. If you share the CSV with colleagues, it should contain only generic sentence frames. If your school controls which software you may install, ask before installing it.
Personalise every comment before you post it
- Replace every bracket with a quotation, a paragraph reference or a detail from this essay.
- Check that the comment matches the rubric level you chose.
- Read the comment as the student will. Would they know what to change?
- Delete the criterion label if your rubric or LMS already shows it next to the comment.
The shortcut naming guide explains how a fixed prefix such as ;fb- stops comments from expanding while you type ordinary text.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use this bank for report cards?
Will a shortcut insert the student’s name?
Does it work in my LMS?
Can I link the shortcuts to my rubric?
Insert the comment frame with a text shortcut, then add the evidence from the student’s essay.
Get Text Replacements