How to plan one writing revision session from a page of feedback
A printable four-box triage card for parents of Year 5-8 children who have comments on a practice piece of writing. It sorts the comments, picks one goal, and shows one fictional paragraph rewritten for that goal. It works for feedback from a teacher, tutor, marking service or AI tool. The child and the comments are made up for illustration.
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About this resource
Quick Answer
Sort the comments into three groups: slips to fix once, habits that keep returning, and comments you do not understand. Choose one habit as the goal and write it as an action. Rewrite one paragraph with only that goal in mind, then check it against three yes-or-no questions. The four-box card below does this, and it works for feedback from any source.
Who gave this feedback, and does that matter?
It matters a little, mostly for how you read the comments. A teacher who knows your child will often write shorthand ("develop") that means something your child has heard in class. A tutor may write more, and may be marking against something you cannot see. A marking service or AI tool may write comments that are accurate in general but not tied to any one line. A parent's comments are usually the clearest about what was confusing to read.
So the first box on the card asks for the source. Write it down, because it changes what you do with a comment you do not understand: a teacher can be asked what they meant, and a tool cannot.
This page does not rank sources. It does not say one kind of feedback is more accurate than another.
How do I sort a page of comments?
Print the card (your browser's print option will do) or copy the four boxes onto paper. Then copy each comment into one of three columns.
| Column | What goes in it | What you do with it |
|---|---|---|
| Slip | A one-off error: a spelling, a missing full stop, a word used twice in a row | Fix it once when you rewrite. It is not the goal. |
| Habit | Something that shows up in more than one place, or that you have seen in earlier pieces | One of these becomes the goal. |
| Not sure | A comment you or your child cannot explain in plain words | Ask the person who wrote it, or leave it for now. |
A quick test for a habit: if the comment could be written about a different paragraph in the same piece, it is probably a habit. If it only makes sense for one word, it is a slip.
How do we choose one goal?
Look at the habit column. Several comments may be pointing at the same habit from different sides. Combine those, and write the result as an action your child can do with a pen:
- Not "improve ideas" but "one reason per paragraph, each with an example".
- Not "be more varied" but "start no two sentences in a row with the same word".
If two habits are left, ask which one, once fixed, would make the other easier. If you cannot tell, choose the one your child can picture doing. The other habit goes on the list for the next session.
What does the revision look like? A worked paragraph
This example is made up. "Mia" is not a real child, and the comments are written for this page.
Mia is in Year 6 and wrote one paragraph of a persuasive piece on the prompt "Schools should have a longer lunch break." Her tutor returned six written comments.
The card, filled in
| Box | Mia's card |
|---|---|
| 1. Source of the feedback | A tutor's written comments on one practice piece |
| 2. Sort the comments | See the table below |
| 3. The one goal, as an action | One reason per paragraph, each with an example |
| 4. Three-question self-check | See "How does my child check the rewrite?" |
Box 2, sorted:
| Comment as written | Column |
|---|---|
| "'there lunch' should be 'their lunch'." | Slip |
| "'a proper break to' needs 'too'." | Slip |
| "You give four reasons in one paragraph and I cannot see any of them properly." | Habit |
| "Where is the proof? Give an example." | Habit |
| "Link your ideas better. More cohesion." | Not sure |
| "Three sentences start with 'Also'." | Habit |
Three habits are left. The third and fourth comments are about the same thing: Mia names reasons and does not show one. She and her parent combine them as the goal. The "Also" comment is real, but it is for another day.
The original paragraph
I think schools should have a longer lunch break. Kids need time to eat and play, and it helps them learn better in the afternoon, and also lots of kids don't get to finish there lunch so they are hungry. Also it would be more fun and teachers could have a proper break to. Also more time would help friends to make friendships. This is why lunch should be longer.
The rewritten paragraph
I think schools should have a longer lunch break. Kids need time to eat and to play, and a short lunch makes them choose. On days when lunch is only twenty minutes, I have seen children eat three bites of a sandwich and put the rest back in the bag so they can get a game of handball started. By the bell they are hungry, and the afternoon is the hardest part of the day to concentrate on an empty stomach. This is why lunch should be longer.
What changed, and what did not
One thing changed: the paragraph now argues one reason (a short lunch forces a choice between eating and playing) and develops it with an example. The reasons about fun, a break for teachers and friendships came out, and they could each be a paragraph of their own later. Hunger and the afternoon stay only as results of the one reason.
What stayed the same on purpose: the first and last sentences are word for word. The "Also" openers disappeared only because the sentences they started were removed, not because Mia worked on them. The slips sat in sentences that were cut, so there was nothing left to fix. If they had survived, correcting them would take seconds and would not count as the revision.
What was not touched: the cohesion comment. Mia's tutor can be asked what they meant, and the answer may turn out to be this same habit.
The rewrite shows that the paragraph does what the goal asked. It carries no score and makes no claim about how good the paragraph is.
How does my child check the rewrite?
Three questions, answered yes or no. Put them in box 4.
- Does the paragraph make one reason, not several?
- Is there an example I could point to with a finger?
- Did I leave the other comments alone for now?
If any answer is no, rewrite that one part, not the whole paragraph. Mia's rewrite answers yes to all three: one reason, one example (the sandwich and the handball game), and nothing else attempted.
What do we do with the comments we skipped?
Keep them. They are the next sessions.
- Slips: fix them in the final copy. Spend no session time on them.
- Habits not chosen: write the habit at the top of the card for the next piece. Mia's next goal would be "no two sentences in a row start with the same word".
- Not sure: ask. If the comments came from a tool and cannot be explained, you can leave them. A comment nobody can act on is not a reason to hold up the rewrite.
If the same habit comes back after two sessions, the comment is probably not the real problem. It may be worth looking at the earlier step: whether the paragraph has a plan before it is written.
Things to check in any feedback, whatever the source
- Does the comment point to a line? "Needs more detail" is hard to act on. "The second sentence says lunch is short but does not say how short" can be acted on.
- Does praise say what worked? "Great work!" gives nothing to repeat. "The last sentence returns to the question" does.
- Is the advice something your child can do in ten minutes? If it needs a new skill taught first, it is a goal for later.
- Is it asking for something the task did not ask for? A comment about a long introduction is not useful for a one-paragraph exercise.
What should we do next?
- Try the same card on a second practice piece. The selective writing prompts give a fresh task, and the persuasive opening workshop works on one common weak spot.
- To see where wrong answers in a test come from, rather than comments on writing, use the mock review planner.
- For the writing task itself, see the NSW Selective writing test guide, and for a longer read on how written feedback sits inside a practice routine, the guide to AI and teacher marking.
- To try a test before choosing anything, the free mock tests need a free classroom account. If you want more written practice, the Selective writing course page lists what each option includes.
Sources and review
About the method: this card is a teaching routine written for this page. It is not an official method from any exam authority, and nothing on it predicts a test result or placement. No exam facts are stated here.
About the example: "Mia", her paragraph and her six comments are fictional and written for this page.
Author: James Rush, content writer, Braintree Coaching Australia.
Review status: a named teacher review has not yet been recorded for this card. If something is unclear, please tell us.
Last updated: 2026-10-15.
Questions parents ask about this resource
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- Named teacher review not yet recorded.
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