Quick answer: The best written correction identifies the type of mistake and lets students fix it themselves. Use a shared symbol key (SP = spelling, T = tense, WO = word order…) in the margin, recycle real class mistakes as correction exercises, have students write deliberately flawed sentences for each other, and use peer marking with an encouraging comment – far more effective than a page of red ink.
This is part two of a three-part series on correcting in class. In this blog, we are going to look at how we can correct written mistakes in the classroom and get creative, so that correcting written work becomes fun, engaging and a real opportunity for learning.
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Have you ever handed in a piece of written work at school or college, only to receive it back with the briefest of comments such as well done or worse still, just a tick?
Short, scant comments can be so disheartening for learners. Each one of us appreciates specific praise. And when it comes to errors, most of us, our ESL students included, welcome knowing exactly what the issue is in order to learn from mistakes and improve.
So, as time-poor EFL teachers, how best can we correct written work in a way that is responsive, encouraging and helpful? Well, let's look at some ways of doing this below.
1) How do correction symbols work?
This is a great shorthand method to help learners without covering the page with red ink. So use these symbols when correcting written work:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ^ | word omitted |
| P | mistake in punctuation |
| SP | mistake in spelling |
| / | unnecessary word |
| Gr | grammatical error |
| T | wrong tense used |
| WW | wrong word |
| WO | word order incorrect |
When you use these symbols in your marking, you are identifying the type of mistake, which allows your student to think about it and correct themselves.
With lower level students, you might wish to indicate the mistake and correct it for them. Otherwise, leaving them to work it out (and ask you if they are still not sure) isn't particularly time productive or effective. But correcting in this way can be very powerful in helping them recognise the issue and remember the correction. If you want to check a grammar point before you mark it (tense choice and word order catch every teacher out sometimes), the Cambridge Dictionary British grammar guide is a fast, reliable reference.
2) How can written mistakes become teaching material?
Another idea is to give a written piece of work out with mistakes in and ask students to correct it using the key above. Get them to compare their corrections with their partners. Can they find the mistakes? How would they correct them? These could be mistakes made in a previous writing exercise and re-used as a revision tool. You can customise this for lower or higher level groups be they type of mistake.
3) How do students get creative with correction?
How about this idea? In small groups, ask students to write three sentences with one mistake in each. Groups then exchange sentences and see if the others can find the mistake. Award points and (again) tackle problems that have come up in the class before by suggesting students write in a particular tense or use an item of recently learned vocabulary. This could work well as a warm-down activity or a filler for more advanced learners who have finished a piece of work early.
4) What about peer marking?
Instead of you marking individual work, try peer marking. Students mark another student’s work using the key above and also write an encouraging comment at the end. Once they have given the marked work back to the ‘author’, encourage students to share corrections they don’t agree with as a class and decide together whether the correction was justified.
How much should you correct in one piece of writing?
Less than you think. A page covered in symbols is as demoralising as a page covered in red ink, so choose a focus before you mark: this week tenses, next week word order. Tell students the focus in advance – it sharpens their drafting – and let minor issues outside the focus pass uncorrected. Pair this with specific praise ("your linking words in paragraph two are excellent") and students start reading your marking rather than just glancing at it. Selective correction also keeps marking time sane when you have four classes' books in your bag.
It helps to set writing worth correcting in the first place: task-based writing with a real outcome produces more motivated drafts than "write about your weekend". Our fun writing ideas for EFL classes supply exactly that kind of task, and our ready-to-print instant TEFL lessons include writing stages you can mark with the symbol key above.
How is written correction different from spoken correction?
Written work sits still: you can code it, return it and let students correct themselves in their own time – which is why symbols and peer marking work so well. Spoken errors vanish as they are said, so oral correction is all about timing and judgement in the moment. We cover that half of the skill – when to interrupt, when to note it for later, echo techniques and more – in the companion post, correcting spoken English in an EFL class.
We hope that these ideas are useful for you if you are teaching. Try some of them out on your classes and give us some feedback below. What worked, or didn't?
Frequently asked questions
What are correction symbols in EFL writing?
A shorthand code written in the margin or above the error – SP for spelling, T for tense, WO for word order, ^ for a missing word – that tells students what kind of mistake they made without giving the answer. Students then correct their own work, which makes the correction stick.
Should I correct every mistake in a student's writing?
No. Choose a focus (one or two error types) and mark selectively; a page covered in corrections demoralises students and rarely improves their next piece. For lower levels, indicate and correct the most important errors; for higher levels, code them and let students self-correct.
How can I adapt written correction for beginners?
Use fewer symbols (start with SP, ^ and WW), indicate the mistake and provide the correction together, and correct in person rather than just on paper where you can. Short, frequent writing tasks with quick feedback beat long essays returned a week later.
Does written correction work in online teaching?
Yes – arguably better. Use comments or suggested edits in a shared document as your symbol key, or annotate a photo of handwritten work on screen. Corrections stay stored with the text, so student and teacher can revisit them before the next piece of writing.
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What next?
This is part two of a three-part series on correction.
- View correcting spoken mistakes and errors (part 1) here
- Learn more about correction in one of the accredited Global English TESOL courses