A mark tells you how a student performed on a particular piece of work. But on its own, it doesn’t necessarily tell them what they understood, where they went wrong, or what they should work on next.
At Koa Academy, that thinking shapes how assessments are marked across the school. While the process differs depending on a student’s age and the type of work they have submitted, the goal is consistent: to give students clear, useful feedback that helps them keep moving forward.
How Marking Works in Grades 4-9
Students in Grades 4-9 complete a variety of assessments depending on the course and what they are learning.
These can include:
- assessments built into their coursework
- quizzes
- larger project submissions
- presentations and showcases
- cross-curricular Expo projects
- Pod Assessments
How these are marked depends on what the assessment is designed to measure.
For a showcase, a student may present their work orally, with their Pod Teacher assessing both what they have produced and how they communicate it. A larger project may be marked by a subject specialist, who can leave comments throughout the student’s work to show what they have done well and where they can improve.
Pod Assessments follow a similar principle of teacher-led feedback. Students complete their work through Exam.net, after which Pod Teachers and subject specialists use a PDF overlay tool called Kami to mark the submission and add feedback before returning it to the student.
Other forms of assessment can provide students with feedback while they are still working towards the final result.
Feedback Throughout a Project
Koa’s Expos are a good example of what this can look like.
These cross-curricular projects take place over an extended period, with students working through different phases before presenting their final work.
Rather than completing the entire project and only receiving feedback at the end, students regularly check in with their Pod Teachers along the way.
Janeen, Koa’s Intersen Academic Head, describes these checkpoints as almost “soft hand-ins”. A student might submit a particular part of their project, receive guidance on where they could add something, rethink an idea or strengthen their work, and then use that feedback as they move into the next stage.
By the time students reach the final submission, they have already had opportunities to reflect on and improve what they are creating.
This is an important part of project-based learning. The aim is not simply to mark a finished product, but to help students learn how to respond to feedback, revise their thinking and produce stronger work as a result.
How Formal Assessments Are Marked in Grades 10-12
Students handwrite their tests and exams to prepare for their final NSC matric exams. Tasks can take different forms and may be typed, handwritten, or submitted as recorded presentations, depending on what is being assessed. The format of each assessment is designed to align with what students will ultimately be expected to do in matric. Once handwritten tests and exams are completed, students scan and upload their scripts so that teachers can mark them digitally.
Teachers use Kami to mark the uploaded script. From a student’s perspective, the marked paper still looks much like a traditionally marked assessment: teachers can add ticks, crosses, corrections, marking symbols and comments directly onto the work.
But marking digitally also allows teachers to go further than annotations on the page.
For every test and exam, and the vast majority of formal tasks, students receive an individual feedback video from the teacher who marked their work.
Jason, Koa’s Deputy Principal, describes this individual response as one of the most important parts of Koa’s approach to marking.
Why Individual Feedback Matters
When a teacher marks an assessment, there will often be patterns across a class.
Perhaps several students struggled with their essay introductions, misunderstood the same question or need more practice with a particular skill. A teacher can address those patterns with the group.
But that does not mean every student needs the same feedback.
Jason gives the example of telling a whole class that they need to improve their introductions. That may be useful for many students, but it does little for the student whose introduction was already excellent. Their next step is somewhere else.
Individual feedback gives the teacher an opportunity to respond directly to what that particular student has done.
Alongside the overall feedback video, teachers can also leave short voice notes on specific parts of an assessment. If a student has misunderstood a question or made an error in their reasoning, the teacher can explain what they noticed at that exact point in the work.
Instead of receiving only a percentage and a collection of marks on a page, students receive context around what those marks actually mean.
Giving Students Feedback They Can Use
There is another important part of good feedback: knowing how much to give at once.
If a student has struggled with several areas of an assessment, it can be tempting to point out everything that needs to change. But a long list of corrections does not necessarily make it easier for the student to improve.
As Jason explains, Koa aims to give students “targeted individualised feedback that is not overwhelming.”
That might mean identifying one or two areas for the student to focus on next rather than expecting them to fix everything at once.
The next assessment then becomes another opportunity to practise those skills, see what has improved and identify the next area for growth.
Over time, marking becomes part of an ongoing conversation between the student and teacher rather than a final judgement on a single piece of work.
Marking With Matric Standards in Mind
For students in the FET phase, useful feedback also depends on teachers understanding the standard students will ultimately be expected to meet.
Koa encourages its matric teachers to apply to become external matric markers at least once every two years.
Appointments are made externally, so teachers are not guaranteed to be selected. But where teachers do take part in matric marking, they gain direct insight into the standards and expectations being applied to final examinations.
Jason explains that the aim is to align Koa’s marking with the actual expectations students will encounter through the IEB matric process, rather than relying only on an interpretation of those expectations.
That experience can then inform the way teachers mark and give feedback throughout the FET phase.
Where Does AI Fit Into Marking?
As AI becomes more capable, Koa is actively exploring how it can be incorporated into the marking process in ways that are both meaningful and responsible.
The goal is not simply to automate for the sake of efficiency. It is to understand where AI can take on parts of the marking load while preserving the integrity and usefulness of the feedback students receive, and helping teachers use their time and capacity where it adds the most value.
How this looks may evolve over time as the technology improves and as Koa continues to refine how it is used.
The aim is to use AI in ways that strengthen the marking process while maintaining meaningful engagement, useful feedback and a more individualised experience for every student.
A Mark Is Only Part of the Story
Marks matter. They give students, parents and teachers a clear measure of performance and become increasingly important as students move towards matric.
But the number itself is only part of what an assessment can tell us.
Good marking should also help answer the questions that come next:
- What did this student understand?
- Where did they get stuck?
- What did they do particularly well?
- And what should they focus on next?
At Koa, the purpose of marking is not simply to tell students how they performed. It is to give them something useful to take into whatever they do next.
