Put the red pen down

This article originally appeared in Observe, our every-so-often publication celebrating the craft and complexity of teaching science. In it, Stile’s Dion Factor explores how teachers can survive report season without losing weekends... or their sanity.

This practical guide offers a strategy to shift the load during report season without compromising on student outcomes.

If your marking pile is starting to resemble a geological formation, this is for you.

Report season. Again. The weight of it is crushing.

Trial exam papers. Actual exam papers. Digital worksheets. The pile is growing, and the clock is ticking.

You’re asking yourself the same question as last year: “How the hell am I supposed to get through all this?”

Your instinct? Mark it all. Page by page. Comment by comment. But marking everything is a lie.

We’ve been sold the idea that more marking means better teaching. That drowning in feedback guarantees student success.

Ask any teacher in the thick of it, and they’ll tell you:

• “Excessive marking doesn’t improve learning.”
• “Most students barely read long comments.”
• “The more you micromanage, the less ownership students take.”

You’re not just burning yourself out, you’re wasting your time.

Here are five ways to ditch the marking grind and still get results

Whole-class feedback: work smarter, not harder

Look for patterns across your class:

• Where did most succeed?
• Where did they struggle?

Turn that into a targeted feedback session. Use a rubric. Show them how to close the gap themselves.

Stick to the key

Find the crux question; the one that shows whether the learning landed, and make that your focus.

That’s your signal. This isn’t cutting corners. It’s placing your energy where it actually makes a difference.

Less is more: keep feedback brief

Students don’t need paragraphs. They need clarity. Two strengths. Two areas to improve. That’s it.

Short. Sharp. Actionable. That’s how feedback sticks.

Feedback stamps or codes

Cut down on repetitive comments. Use codes or stamps like “NW = needs working out” or “EFG = explained for grade.”

Students decode it from a reference sheet. It makes them actually read the feedback.

Marking hour is sacred
Set a timer. 60–90 minutes max. Even the best teachers need time-outs. Protect your energy, not just your deadlines.

Put the red pen down. Surviving report season isn’t about grinding through endless stacks of paper. It’s about being strategic.

Marking everything doesn’t make you a better teacher.

It makes you an exhausted one. And exhausted teachers can’t do their best work.

Trust the process.