“Needs more practice” is one of the most common pieces of feedback students receive, and one of the least useful. It may be true, but it does not explain what kind of practice is needed, what the problem actually is, or how the student should improve.

Useful feedback needs to be more precise than that.

Why Generic Feedback Fails

A phrase like “needs more practice” leaves too many questions unanswered:

• Practice what?
• Why is the current answer weak?
• Is the issue content, structure, timing, or confidence?
• What should the student do differently next time?

Without those answers, the comment does not help much.

What Specific Feedback Looks Like

Better feedback usually identifies:

• the exact weak area
• the type of mistake
• the likely effect on marks
• the next action

For example:

• needs more development in 6-mark explanations because points are relevant but not linked clearly
• understands the topic but still misreads graph axes in data questions
• can solve routine examples but struggles to apply the method in unfamiliar exam questions

That is much more useful than a generic instruction to practise more.

Link Feedback to the Real Problem

Different problems need different feedback.

If the issue is:

• weak structure, the feedback should mention organisation and linking
• poor wording, it should mention precision and terminology
• timing, it should mention pace and unfinished sections
• confidence, it should mention hesitation or overchecking

Specific feedback helps the student focus on the right fix.

Make the Next Step Clear

The best feedback also includes what should happen next.

For example:

• rewrite this answer using clearer compare structure
• complete two timed graph questions this week
• revise the weak topic, then redo similar questions
• practise one longer answer using stronger examiner-style phrasing

That turns feedback into action.

A Tool That Helps

The Student Report Maker is useful for turning rough teaching notes into clearer, more specific progress comments. It helps tutors and teachers move from generic statements to better phrased strengths, weak areas, and next steps.

Final Advice

Students rarely improve because they were told only to “practise more”. They improve when the feedback explains what is wrong and what to do next.

Specific feedback saves time, improves trust, and gives students a much better chance of actually fixing the problem.

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