# Report Card Comments for Writing: 40 Examples Teachers Can Copy

> Strong report card comments for writing name one strength, point to the work that shows it, and give one next step. Here are 40 comments for student writing, sorted by skill and genre with [Name] placeholders, plus a free printable of all 40.

URL: https://blog.gradeouressays.com/posts/report-card-comments-for-writing  
Published: November 11, 2026  
Publisher: Grade Our Essays  
Category: Grading & Feedback  
Tags: Feedback, Student Writing, ELA

Good report card comments for writing do three things: name one strength, point to the piece of work that shows it, and give one next step. The formula is short enough to reuse all season: "[Name] [strength], as shown in [specific work]. Next, [Name] will work on [one skill]." Below are 40 report card comments for students' writing, grouped by skill and by genre, with [Name] and they/their placeholders. Copy the sentence, then add one detail from the student's actual work.

Picture a 6th grade ELA teacher with four sections and a Friday deadline. By the third class, the comments start to blur: "works hard," "is improving," "needs to elaborate." Every one of them is true. None of them tells a family what their child wrote this term or what comes next.

## Why do generic report card comments fall flat?

A generic comment could describe any student in the room, and families notice. When two siblings or two friends bring home the same sentence, the comment stops meaning anything. The parent learns nothing about their child's writing.

Generic comments also give the student nowhere to go. "Needs to work on writing" is a verdict, not a direction. Even "needs to elaborate" assumes the family knows what elaboration means on a rubric, and most don't.

The other trap is the comment that tries to fix everything at once. Five goals in one paragraph reads like a list of problems. A student can work on one skill in a grading period. Pick that one.

| Generic comment | What the family hears | Comment with evidence and a next step |
| --- | --- | --- |
| "[Name] is a good writer." | Nice, but good at what? | "[Name] varies sentence length and structure to make writing engaging, as shown in their personal narrative about the first day of middle school. Next, [Name] will work on writing an ending that resolves the problem." |
| "[Name] needs to elaborate more." | A rubric word with no example | "[Name] supports claims with relevant evidence from the text, as shown in their essay on *Hatchet*. Next, [Name] will add a sentence after each quote that explains what it proves." |
| "[Name] struggles with writing." | A problem and no plan | "[Name] shares ideas well aloud and is learning to put them in writing. With a graphic organizer, [Name] planned and finished a full paragraph about their science fair project. Next, [Name] will write a paragraph with a topic sentence and two details on their own." |
| "[Name] works hard." | Effort, but no skill | "[Name] uses feedback to revise and improve drafts, as shown when they rewrote the conclusion of their argument essay after a conference. Next, [Name] will connect each conclusion back to the thesis." |

## The 3-part formula: strength, evidence, next step

Every comment in this bank fits one frame:

> [Name] [strength], as shown in [specific work]. Next, [Name] will work on [one skill].

### Strength

Start with something the student can actually do now. For a strong writer that's easy. For a struggling writer, look smaller: they explain ideas clearly in conversation, they finish a planner, they use a sentence starter without being reminded. A real strength makes the next step believable.

### Evidence

This is the part a comment bank can't do for you, and it's the part families remember. Name the assignment, the topic, or the sentence: "their argument essay on later school start times," "the dialogue in their narrative about losing the dog," "the thesis in their October essay." One concrete detail tells the parent you read their child's work.

### Next step

One skill, stated as something the student will do. "Next, [Name] will add commentary after each quote" gives the student and the family a target for the next grading period. "Needs to improve organization" doesn't.

Here's one comment built from the bank. Comment 9 says "[Name] supports claims with relevant evidence from the text." Add the evidence and a next step from comment 12:

> [Name] supports claims with relevant evidence from the text, as shown in their essay on *Wonder*, where they quoted Auggie's first day to show how he changes. Next, [Name] will add commentary after each quote to explain its meaning.

That's two sentences. It fits most gradebook comment boxes, and no other student in the class could receive it.

A note on pronouns: the bank uses they/their as a placeholder. Change it to the pronouns the student and family use.

## 40 report card comments for writing

The first seven groups are sorted by writing skill. The last three are sorted by genre, for terms when the main unit was a narrative, an argument, or a research piece. Within each group, the comments move from a strength, to a skill in progress, to a next step. Lines that start with "Next step" are meant to follow a strength sentence from the same group.

### Ideas and thesis

1. [Name] writes a clear thesis that states a position and previews the reasons.
2. [Name] develops ideas with specific details that keep the reader interested.
3. [Name] is working on writing a thesis that answers the prompt directly.
4. Next step: [Name] will narrow broad topics into one focused main idea.

*Evidence to add:* the thesis sentence itself, or the essay topic.

### Organization

5. [Name] organizes writing with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion.
6. [Name] uses transitions to connect ideas smoothly between paragraphs.
7. [Name] is learning to group related ideas into separate paragraphs.
8. Next step: [Name] will write conclusions that connect back to the thesis.

*Evidence to add:* the assignment, and how many paragraphs it had or which transition worked.

### Evidence and reasoning

9. [Name] supports claims with relevant evidence from the text.
10. [Name] explains how the evidence supports the point, not just what it says.
11. [Name] is beginning to cite text evidence to support their ideas.
12. Next step: [Name] will add commentary after each quote to explain its meaning.

*Evidence to add:* the text they wrote about and the quote they chose. If quotes keep landing with no explanation, this post on [students who restate the quote instead of analyzing it](https://blog.gradeouressays.com/posts/students-restate-quote-instead-of-analysis) has a fix to pair with comment 12.

### Voice and word choice

13. [Name] uses precise vocabulary that fits the purpose and audience.
14. [Name] varies sentence length and structure to make writing engaging.
15. Next step: [Name] will replace general words like "good" and "things" with specific ones.

*Evidence to add:* one strong word or sentence from their writing.

### Conventions

16. [Name] consistently uses correct capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
17. [Name] edits independently to correct errors before submitting.
18. [Name] is working on using complete sentences and avoiding run-ons.
19. Next step: [Name] will use a checklist to proofread for punctuation.

*Evidence to add:* the piece where the edits showed up, or the error pattern that changed.

### Struggling writers

These report card comments for struggling students start with what the student can do and name the support that's working. The next step should be small enough to reach before the next report card.

20. [Name] shares ideas well aloud and is learning to put them in writing.
21. [Name] is building writing stamina and is now completing longer responses.
22. With a graphic organizer, [Name] plans writing more independently.
23. [Name] benefits from sentence starters and is beginning to use them independently.
24. Next step: [Name] will write a complete paragraph with a topic sentence and two details.

*Evidence to add:* how long their responses were at the start of the term compared with now, or the assignment they finished with support. For the supports themselves, see [how to scaffold short responses for struggling writers](https://blog.gradeouressays.com/posts/scaffold-scr-writing-for-struggling-students) and this set of [sentence starters](https://blog.gradeouressays.com/posts/sentence-starters-that-instantly-improve-scr-writing).

### Effort and growth

25. [Name] has grown noticeably in organizing paragraphs this term.
26. [Name] uses feedback to revise and improve drafts.
27. [Name] takes risks with new vocabulary and sentence structures.
28. [Name] stays focused during writing time and completes work on schedule.

*Evidence to add:* a first draft and a final draft of the same piece, or the first essay of the term next to the latest one.

### Narrative writing

29. [Name] writes narratives with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
30. [Name] uses dialogue and sensory details to bring characters and events to life.
31. [Name] is learning to slow down the most important moment of a story.
32. Next step: [Name] will write endings that resolve the problem instead of stopping suddenly.

*Evidence to add:* the story's topic and the scene that worked.

### Argumentative writing

33. [Name] states a clear claim and supports it with logical reasons.
34. [Name] uses facts and examples, not just opinions, to support a claim.
35. [Name] is working on giving reasons that support the claim instead of repeating it.
36. Next step: [Name] will acknowledge an opposing view and respond to it.

*Evidence to add:* the claim, in a few words ("that school should start later").

### Informational writing

37. [Name] introduces the topic clearly and groups related facts into sections.
38. [Name] explains topics using facts, definitions, and examples from research.
39. [Name] is learning to put information from sources into their own words.
40. Next step: [Name] will define key terms so a reader new to the topic can follow.

*Evidence to add:* the research topic and one fact they explained well.

## How do you write report card comments from real evidence?

You already have the evidence. It's in the essays you graded this term. The trick is pulling one detail per student without rereading every paper.

1. **Pick one piece of writing per student.** The most recent major essay is usually enough. For a growth comment, pull the first essay of the term too.
2. **Find the highest trait score.** That's the strength. Choose the comment from the bank that matches it.
3. **Find one sentence that proves it.** Write down the assignment and a few words from the sentence. This is your evidence.
4. **Find the lowest trait that's close to moving up.** That's the next step. Pick the one skill that would move it, not the whole trait.
5. **Read the comment as the parent.** If it would make sense to someone who has never seen your rubric, it's done.

Step 4 is easier when the rubric is short. With [two or three criteria on a major essay](https://blog.gradeouressays.com/posts/simplify-writing-rubric-three-criteria), the lowest row usually names the next step for you.

Your margin comments and conference notes count as evidence too. If you wrote "add the reason after the quote" on a draft and the final essay did it, that's a growth comment with proof attached.

If you grade essays with [Grade Our Essays](https://gradeouressays.com/ai-writing-feedback?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=inline&utm_campaign=report-card-comments-for-writing), each graded essay already has trait scores and comments tied to specific parts of the student's writing, scored against [500+ official state writing rubrics](https://gradeouressays.com/rubrics?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=resource&utm_campaign=report-card-comments-for-writing) for grades 3 to 12. You can adjust any score before students see it. It doesn't write report card comments. You still write those, but you start from a trait score and a specific comment on a real essay instead of from memory.

## Try this before report cards are due

- **Sort before you write.** Group students by their strongest trait. Everyone in a group gets the same strength sentence and a different piece of evidence.
- **Write the evidence first.** Jot one detail per student in a column next to your roster. The comments go fast once that column is full.
- **Cap it at one next step.** If you want to name two skills, save the second for a conference.
- **Read five comments in a row.** If any two could be swapped between students, add more evidence to both.

If students should see the comments too, connect the next step to the next essay. This [short revision loop](https://blog.gradeouressays.com/posts/students-ignore-essay-feedback) makes them act on one comment before the grade is final.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How long should a report card comment for writing be?

Two or three sentences: one strength with evidence and one next step. If your gradebook caps the length, cut adjectives before you cut the evidence.

### How do you write report card comments for struggling students?

Start with a real strength, even a small one like explaining ideas well aloud. Name the support that's working, such as a graphic organizer or sentence starters, and give one next step the student can reach by the next grading period. Comments 20 to 24 above are written for this.

### Can I use the same comment for more than one student?

The strength sentence, yes. That's what a comment bank is for. The evidence should be different for every student, because it's the part that shows the family you read their child's work.

### Should I use rubric terms in report card comments?

Only if you explain them. "Commentary" or "elaboration" means little to most families, so write what the student will do instead: "add a sentence after each quote that explains what it shows."

### Is there a printable version of these 40 comments?

Yes. The free two page PDF has all 40 comments sorted by category, the formula at the top, and boxes for drafting comments, so you can keep it next to your gradebook while you write.