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Closing the Gap Comments

Focused written feedback that bridges the gap between what a learner has achieved and what they could achieve, using reminder, scaffolded or example prompts.

Assessment for learning
Closing the Gap Comments diagram

What is closing the gap comments?

  • Mark work against the learning objective and agreed success criteria
  • Write one focused comment that addresses the gap between achievement and potential
  • Use a reminder, scaffolded or example prompt depending on the learner
  • Give learners dedicated time to read and respond to the comment

How it works

Closing the gap comments are the engine of formative feedback. Instead of writing generic praise or vague suggestions, the teacher identifies the specific gap between what the learner has achieved and what they could have achieved, then writes a comment that helps them close it.

There are three types of prompt, used depending on the learner's needs. A reminder prompt nudges a capable learner: "How could you describe the building in more detail?" A scaffolded prompt provides more structure: "What was Jane's response to the argument? Describe how her body language changed because of the argument." An example prompt gives the most support: "Choose one of these or write your own: He was so angry he was fit to burst / His face turned an angry red / He was fuming."

The emphasis when marking should be on both success against the learning objective and improvement against it. This is not about finding fault. It is about showing learners the distance between where they are and where they could be, and giving them a concrete way to close that distance.

Critically, closing the gap only works if learners are given time to act on the comments. Without allow time, the comments are wasted effort.

Classroom example

A Year 8 Languages, Literacy and Communication teacher in a Flintshire school has marked persuasive letters. For one learner who wrote a competent but flat letter, she writes: "You gave three strong reasons. Now add a rhetorical question to make the reader feel personally involved. Try starting a paragraph with 'How would you feel if...?'" The learner responds in the next lesson by adding a new paragraph that transforms the letter's impact.

Curriculum for Wales connection

Closing the gap comments directly support the "Reflect" strand of thinking skills by helping learners evaluate their own work against success criteria. They develop cross-curricular literacy through focused redrafting and are essential for making assessment for learning work in any AoLE.

Rainbow Curriculum's Thinking Tools lens lets you ensure feedback strategies are planned consistently across your curriculum, so closing the gap becomes a school-wide practice rather than individual teacher habit.

Tips

  • One comment per piece of work. More than one dilutes the focus and overwhelms the learner.
  • Match the prompt type to the learner. A high-attaining learner needs a reminder; a struggling learner needs an example.
  • A common pitfall: writing a closing the gap comment but then not giving learners time to respond. The comment alone changes nothing.
  • Never add a grade or level alongside the comment. Research shows that the moment a mark appears, learners ignore the comment entirely.
  • Keep a note of common gaps across the class. If most learners have the same gap, address it through whole-class teaching rather than individual comments.

Source: Adapted from "How to develop thinking and assessment for learning in the classroom", Welsh Assembly Government, Guidance 044/2010.