NSW report comments by achievement level (A–E language)

Two names for the same grades

NESA’s course grade descriptors describe a C as "sound" achievement and an E as "elementary" achievement. On the NSW DoE report templates parents actually receive, the same grades are labelled "Expected" and "Limited". This guide uses the parent-facing template labels (Expected, Limited) with the NESA descriptor in brackets, so your comments match whichever wording your school reports.

A — Outstanding / B — High

• demonstrates extensive knowledge and understanding of the content
• applies highly developed skills across a wide variety of contexts
• produces work of exceptional quality that synthesises and evaluates ideas
• consistently applies skills in new and complex situations
• Next steps: extension tasks, applying skills in new and complex contexts, deeper reasoning and synthesis.

Examples

• "[Student] demonstrates extensive knowledge and understanding of English content and applies highly developed reading and writing skills across a wide variety of texts. She analyses how authors influence readers and evaluates the effectiveness of their techniques. To extend her learning, [Student] will pursue an independent reading challenge and experiment with sophisticated persuasive techniques in her own writing."

C — Expected (sound achievement)

• demonstrates sound knowledge and understanding of the main areas of content
• applies skills and processes in familiar contexts
• meets syllabus expectations with generally good-quality work
• Next steps: consolidate and extend by applying skills in less familiar contexts.

Examples

• "[Student] demonstrates sound knowledge and understanding of the main areas of Mathematics content. He applies skills and processes in familiar contexts and explains his strategies using diagrams and number sentences. Next steps include building fluency with multiplication facts and using estimation to check the reasonableness of answers."

D — Basic / E — Limited (elementary achievement)

• demonstrates basic knowledge and understanding of content
• applies skills and processes in routine contexts with guidance
• is developing fundamental concepts with teacher support
• Next steps: targeted practice, explicit strategies, small-step goals and feedback.

Examples

• "[Student] demonstrates basic knowledge and understanding of Mathematics content and applies skills with guidance in routine contexts. He is building confidence with place value and uses concrete materials to support calculation. Next steps include regular practice of number facts and explaining his thinking after each strategy."

Common pitfalls in A–E comment writing

• Grades should not match effort — achievement grades reflect syllabus outcomes, and effort is reported separately on NSW reports.
• Do not force a bell curve — C represents sound achievement of outcomes, not "average effort", and the grade distribution should reflect actual performance.
• Do not let an A–grade comment read like a C — an A student should be described applying skills in new and complex situations, not only familiar ones.
• Kindergarten has no A–E grades — use descriptive, effort-focused comments aligned with Early Stage 1 learning.

Students working towards personalised goals

Students working towards outcomes below their year level may be reported using the Personalised Learning and Support scale (P4–P1) or outcomes from a prior stage. Describe progress against the student’s personalised learning goals rather than year-level expectations.