This assessment model came from the humanities (from Peggy Nightingale, Macquarie University, circa 1980) and I modified it for marking (structured) essays in zoology.  I used a cassette recorder and recorded all my comments.  I did not write comments on the essay.  On the essay I indicated, using the numbers 1 to n, where I was in the essay.  These numbers I wrote in the left-hand margin of the essay.  I also put the final grade on the essay.  The only pre-requisite is to have an idea of what you might be expecting in the essay. 

Essentially I commented on the essay as I read it for the first (and only) time.  I did not pre-read the essay.  This was important, as I wanted to be able to help students re-structure their essay from my comments (about what might be missing in certain sections; what might not be in a logical flow but better off somewhere else, etc.).  Commenting on the essay, rather than marking it, meant that I talked about the good, the mediocre and the awful.  My voice indicated my feelings (according to student feedback).  So I could be both encouraging and congratulatory (which we rarely are on scripts) and sad and disappointed for the students, but with the added functionality of giving them constructive ideas about improvements.  In speaking, rather than writing, the spontaneous conversational voice seemed appropriate. 

I used the method for about eight years and in that time only one student, who had his first essay marked in this manner, asked me to mark in the traditional manner the next time.  I taught the method to many colleagues.  I found that it took no longer to mark an essay this way than with writing on the script and I had the added benefit of having positive interactions with students about my marking format and the feedback they received.

Student feedback included:

• she showed me how to organise the essay
• she identified the good bits and also said why they were good
• she showed me how to rewrite the poorer sections
• it was like a one-to-one experience (the comment to a friend was it was like having her at home with you)

The students agreed that they received an enormous amount of feedback.  In some cases students re-wrote the essay, based on the feedback, although no student was expected to do this.