SIR Marking

1. SIR Marking
Session Objectives
• Understand the rationale of our marking
policy
• Ensure responses are meaningful
• Make marking manageable
MARKING AND
FEEDBACK

2. Why was SIR introduced?
• SIR was introduced at CCC in 2013 to ensure
students were active participants in the
marking process.
• To create a dialogue between teacher, learners
and other adults.

3. FOCUS: Improvements
Purpose:
To create a dialogue between teacher, learners and other adults.
Examples of Improvements
Use positive language that is encouraging… i.e. I really like the way you have……
perhaps you could try……I wonder what would happen if…
Be constructive and concise- one development point might be enough for the
student.
Set your expectations out in the improvements or in response time – how much do
you want them to write? Is one sentence enough to make a difference? Or do students
need to extend their ideas further?
Return to the improvement and offer feedback. Have the students met your
expectation and are ready for a new challenge? Do they need to complete this again
because it hasn’t had an impact?
Strength, Improvement, Response MARKING AND
FEEDBACK
Impact of Improvements:
Improvements inform the students about what is missing from their work. The improvements
should assist students and should impact on the end result in a summative assessment.

4. FOCUS: Response Time
Purpose:
To ensure students have sufficient time to respond to improvements in a focused
environment. ‘Fix it Time’ or ‘DIRT’ (directed improvement and reflection time).
Examples of Response Time
Allocate 15 – 20 minutes at the start of a lesson every 2 – 3 weeks which is dedicated
to responding to improvements. Explain to the task the importance of this task and
what impact it can have on their learning.
Set responses for homework and make the expectation clear – how long should they
spend on this and how much should they do. Homework should then be checked to
ensure the expectations have been fulfilled.
Strength, Improvement, Response
Impact of Response Time:
Students understand the importance of quality responses and edits because specific
time is allocated to this. Students should complete this in silence so they are able to
personally make progress in their learning.
MARKING AND
FEEDBACK

5. Suggested ways of using SIR
• The teacher records a strength and sets an improvement. The student then edits their assessment responding to the
improvement. This can be done in class or for homework if a detailed edit is required.
• Strengths and improvements are recorded by the teacher at the bottom of the work. The student responds by going
back through their assessment and highlights an area of strength in their work and an area where they could make an
improvement. In the response section they then explain why they have selected these areas.
• The teacher thoroughly annotates the work highlighting strengths and improvements but makes no final comment. The
student then carefully reads the annotations (which may have been previously ignored) and their response to the
marking is to write their own strength and improvement, using the annotations as a guide.
• Either through peer or self-assessment the students use an agreed success criteria to highlight and identify the
strengths and improvements in the work. The teacher then responds by commenting on the peer or self-assessment
and adds any additional comments that are needed.
• The response may be left blank and students then return to this section by writing the date and title of the next
assessment (when they have focused on their target) so progress can be tracked.
• If students are working towards a summative assessment then the student may write ‘See final assessment’ as their
response. At the top of the summative assessment the student should record key strengths and improvements to
ensure they are using these to guide them and to learn from them.
• Students write a reflection of their work in the response section and consider how they can improve their
performance in future assessments.
• Students correct spellings, grammar, capital letters and any other grammatical issues in their response.
• Success criteria are shared with the class and then students use this information to help them to allocate a strength
and improvement when self-assessing or when peer assessing. The student then responds to these comments and the
teacher then moderates the whole process.
• Students complete a Response, following the guidelines set by the teacher. The teacher reviews the response and
acknowledges when the student has been progress to demonstrate the impact on learning.

6. Examples

9. Tick Sheets
S or
I?
Success Criteria
I have developed my analysis so I show that I understanding of
the whole poem, not just a small section of it.
I have supported all of my ideas with quotations from the poem;
longer quotations or shorter embedded ones.
I have correctly identified what poetry techniques have been used
– and have explained their effects.
I have identified and analysed key language choices the writer
uses and have explained the effects on the reader.
I have commented on the structure and what this reveals to the
reader about key ideas in the poem.
I have considered the impact of the form of the poem and how
this shapes my understanding.
I have considered alternative or additional interpretations of the
poem / quotation.
I have considered the tone of the poem and how this is achieved.
I have also considered if the tone of the poem is the same
throughout the poem or if it changes.
Where appropriate I have discussed the context of the poem and
have used this to support my ideas and analysis.
I have identified and explained the similarities and differences
between the poems.
Success Criteria S or I ?
A clear understanding of the text as a whole should be demonstrated. You
should be able to place the extract of text you are analysing into the
context of the whole novel / play / poem.
Quotations with close analysis should be in every paragraph. You should
aim to include a variety of embedded quotations and longer separate
quotations. Layer quotations to strengthen interpretations.
Close analysis of language, punctuation or structure from quotations
should be included. What do we learn from these? What do they add to
our understanding? How to they contribute to the tone / the readers’
responses? How is the writer crafting our response to the character, theme
or situation? Where does this fit into the text?
The form of the text should be considered and analysed. If this is a play
what do the stage directions reveal? What is important about narrator or
genre of the text? How does the reader / audience respond as a result?
The structure and organisation of the text should be considered. Why do
certain events follow each other? How do events connect? How do
characters / themes develop or change throughout the text? Why are we
told things in a certain order? Does the text follow structure expectations?
Alternative interpretations of quotations, characters or themes should be
included e.g. Alternatively it could be considered... You could also consider
how different readers (time, gender) would interpret the text.
Connectives should be used to extend or elaborate on ideas e.g.
furthermore, in addition to this.
Ideas and paragraphs should flow, connect and develop logically –
therefore careful planning and preparation is essential.
An understanding of the social and historical context of the texts should be
included in the essay – but do not merely state the context of the writing,
use this to support your analysis e.g. In Act One Nora’s characters in A
Doll’s House is indicative of the role of women in Victorian society
because…
Spelling, paragraphing, punctuation, capital letters, titles, expression and
grammar are all perfect.

16. On post-it
• Write down a new approach you will take
away and apply to your marking following
today’s session.
Or
• Suggest another approach for staff to try.

17. Lunch Drop-In
• Follow up – Lunchtime
Thursday Room 73