NZ Report Comment Library
Example comments for reports to parents and whānau in Aotearoa New Zealand. Each one describes progress as well as achievement, in plain language, with a next step the ākonga and their whānau can work on together. Use them as models, or draft your own with our AI tool.
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Real examples demonstrating Ministry of Education | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga reporting standards
Progress Against Curriculum Expectations
Year 4 writing at three points relative to the expected level
Beyond expectations
Sophie writes engaging stories with a clear beginning, problem and ending. In her story about a lost kererū she used dialogue and descriptive language to build suspense. She edits her own work for punctuation. Her next step is to vary the length of her sentences to control the pace of her writing.
At expectations
Liam writes recounts in paragraphs, using time words to show the order of events. His recount of our trip to the marae included what he saw, heard and learned. He spells most common words correctly. His next step is to add details that help the reader feel they were there.
Working towards expectations
Joshua has grown in confidence as a writer this year. He now writes several sentences about a topic and uses capital letters and full stops in most of them. With support, he plans his ideas using a picture map. His next step is to reread his writing aloud to check it makes sense.
Learning Areas
Comments across the learning areas of the New Zealand Curriculum
Mathematics and statistics
Emma counts forwards and backwards to 100 and solves addition problems by counting on. She used tally marks to record the birds we saw during our bird count and told the class which was most common. Her next step is to use doubles to solve problems more quickly.
Science
Aiden tested water from the local stream and explained what the results tell us about its health. He linked his findings to land use upstream and shared them at our community evening. His next step is to suggest an action the school could take and explain how we would measure its effect.
Key Competencies and Growth
How ākonga learn: managing self, relating to others, participating and contributing
Managing self
Olivia sets goals for her learning and checks her progress each week. She takes responsibility for her work and asks for help when she needs it. This term she led her group's kapa haka practice with patience. Her next step is to give her classmates specific feedback on their ideas.
Relating to others
Tyler is a kind friend who includes others in games at break time. In group tasks he is learning to listen to others' ideas before sharing his own. His next step is to take turns as group leader, with support from his kaiako.
Specialized Comment Collections
Supporting diverse learners with tailored feedback approaches
English Language Learners
Comments that describe English language progress using the English Language Learning Progressions, separately from learning area achievement.
Learning Support
Comments that describe progress against individual goals, including Individual Education Plan (IEP) goals, in strengths-based language.
New Entrants
Warm comments on settling in, early literacy and numeracy for whānau receiving their child's first school report.
NCEA Students
Concise comments for Years 11-13 on standards achieved, credits towards NCEA and what to focus on before external assessment.
Anatomy of an Effective Report Comment
The Four Essential Components
Every effective report comment should include these elements
Positive Opening
Begin with a strength, achievement, or positive attribute. This sets a constructive tone and recognises student effort. Examples: "demonstrates strong understanding", "shows enthusiasm for learning", "has made impressive progress".
Specific Evidence
Provide concrete examples of skills, knowledge, or behaviours demonstrated during the reporting period. Reference specific topics, activities, or assessments. Avoid vague statements like "works hard" - instead say "consistently completes extension tasks in multiplication".
Achievement Context
Say where the ākonga is in relation to curriculum expectations for this point in the year, and describe the progress they have made since the last report. Use plain language that whānau can understand without a glossary, and check any te reo Māori with your kura's practice.
Forward-Looking Guidance
End with actionable, specific recommendations for continued growth. Frame suggestions constructively using language like "to further develop" or "next steps include". Give parents and students clear direction for supporting ongoing learning.
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