Make Feedback Stick: 4 Fun & Effective Student Feedback Marking Systems Every Teacher Should Try

Giving meaningful student feedback is one of the most powerful tools in a teacher’s toolkit… but also one of the most time-consuming. You want your students to really understand what they’ve done well, where they can improve, and feel motivated to grow.

Enter our vibrant suite of student feedback marking systems. These visual, practical, and student-friendly approaches help you deliver constructive feedback consistently, creatively, and in a way your students actually remember.

Let’s dive into four tried-and-true favourites from the Gifted and Talented Teacher collection — each one available as a beautiful, ready-to-print teacher resource.

Two Stars and A Wish

Simple, effective, and oh-so-loved by primary classrooms!

Two Stars: Point out two specific things the student did well.
A Wish: Give one piece of targeted, kind improvement advice.

Whether it’s used during peer assessment, self-reflection, or teacher-led marking, this structure ensures that feedback is always balanced, positive, and clear.

Why we love it: It’s emotionally intelligent. Students feel acknowledged for their effort while being gently guided to improve — a great foundation for a growth mindset classroom.

Tickled Pink, Green for Growth & Purple for Progress

This colour-coded system is a standout because it's visually clear and instantly actionable. Here’s how it works:

Tickled Pink: Highlight work that shines! This could be correct answers, clever vocabulary, thoughtful connections — whatever you want to celebrate.
Green for Growth: Use green to indicate areas where students can stretch themselves further. This is your gentle nudge for improvement and next steps.
Purple for Progress: Show students how they’ve acted on feedback or made meaningful changes to their work — perfect for reflecting progress over time.

Why we love it: The colour connection makes feedback accessible for early learners, EAL students, and visual thinkers — no deciphering cryptic symbols or vague comments here!

Glow and Grow

If you want a feedback system that’s intuitive and empowering, Glow and Grow hits the mark.

Glow: What’s already awesome about the student’s work?
Grow: What could be even better next time?

This feedback system encourages reflective practice and makes space for both praise and improvement. It also aligns beautifully with student conferences and goal setting discussions.

Why we love it: It’s a fantastic student-led feedback framework — and a great way to frame learning as a journey, not a destination.

Medal and A Mission

This system adds a fun, achievement-focused twist to your feedback approach:

Medal: What did the student earn recognition for today?
Mission: What’s their next learning challenge?

Gamified language like "medal" and "mission" makes the feedback process feel dynamic and exciting — particularly powerful for reluctant learners or competitive spirits.

Why we love it: It naturally links to goal setting, keeps feedback student-centred, and can double as a motivational tool for classroom management.

Tip for Teachers: Don’t choose just one!

Many of our community teachers like to rotate systems by term, subject, or student need. You might use Two Stars and a Wish for writing tasks, Tickled Pink and Green for Growth during editing, and Glow and Grow for peer feedback circles.

Explore each feedback system here:

Let your feedback speak volumes — in colour, in kindness, and with clarity.