🟦 Introduction
Good morning/afternoon,
Today I will be talking about the role of feedback and marks in learning.
In most classrooms, marks are used to measure performance, and students often focus heavily
on achieving high grades.
However, this raises an important question:
Do marks actually help students improve, or is feedback more effective in supporting learning?
🟦 Defining Feedback and Marks
First, it is important to understand the difference between feedback and marks.
Feedback is information given to students to help them improve their work or thinking. Its
purpose is to guide learning by identifying strengths and areas that need improvement.
Marks, on the other hand, are scores or grades that reflect how well a student has performed on
a task. While they indicate performance, they do not necessarily explain how improvement can
be achieved.
🟦 Research Study
To better understand this issue, a study conducted by Ruth Butler and Mordecai Nisan
examined how different types of evaluation affect student motivation and performance.
In this study, students were divided into three groups:
● One group received only written feedback
● Another group received only grades
● The third group received both grades and feedback
The goal was to observe how each type of evaluation influenced learning outcomes.
🟦 Key Findings
The results of the study were quite significant.
Students who received only feedback showed the highest levels of improvement and motivation.
Those who received both grades and feedback often focused mainly on the grade and paid less
attention to the comments.
Students who received only grades showed lower motivation and less improvement overall.
These findings suggest that the type of evaluation students receive can strongly influence how
they approach learning.
🟦 Impact of Marks
Marks can create strong pressure to achieve high scores, especially because of expectations
from parents, teachers, and comparison with others.
Because of this pressure, students often focus on getting good marks rather than actually
improving their understanding. They may work hard, but without real motivation to learn or
develop their skills.
When students receive low grades, it can also affect their confidence and self-esteem. Over
time, this pressure and disappointment can lead to stress, anxiety, and other mental health
challenges.
So while marks are useful for measuring performance, they can also have a negative impact on
both motivation and well-being.
🟦 Impact of Feedback
Feedback, however, plays a different role.
It provides clear direction on how to improve and helps students understand their mistakes.
It also encourages effort and persistence, as students can see what steps they need to take to
progress.
In this way, feedback supports what is known as intrinsic motivation—learning driven by interest
and the desire to improve, rather than by external rewards such as grades.
🟦 Importance of Using Feedback
It is also important to note that feedback is only effective if it is actually used.
If students do not engage with the feedback or apply it to their work, then it has little impact on
their learning.
Therefore, both the quality of feedback and the way it is used are essential for it to be effective.
🟦 Timing of Feedback
Another key factor is the timing of feedback.
Students often look at their grade first, and this can create an immediate emotional response,
such as satisfaction or disappointment.
This reaction may influence how much attention they give to the feedback that follows.
If students feel that the task is already completed, they may be less motivated to review
comments or make improvements.
🟦 Feedback vs Grades Order
The order in which feedback and grades are given can also affect learning.
When feedback is provided before grades, students are more likely to focus on improving their
work.
However, when grades are given first, students may feel that the process is finished and
become less engaged with the feedback.
When both are given together, students often prioritize the grade, which can reduce the
effectiveness of the feedback.
🟦 Why Feedback Gets Ignored
There are several reasons why feedback may be ignored.
Students tend to focus on the numerical score, as it is the most immediate and clear form of
evaluation.
They may also compare their grades with others, which shifts attention away from personal
improvement.
As a result, feedback can sometimes be seen as less important, even though it is more useful
for learning.
🟦 Conclusion
In conclusion, both marks and feedback have a role in education.
Marks are useful for measuring and reporting performance, while feedback is essential for
guiding improvement.
Without feedback, marks alone do not provide enough information for students to develop their
skills.
Therefore, for effective learning, feedback should be prioritized, and marks should be used as a
summary rather than the main focus.
🟦 Closing
Thank you.