You spend time giving detailed feedback on student writing… correcting errors, adding comments, marking everything you can. But when the next assignment comes in, the same issues are still there.
The problem? Too much feedback can overwhelm students… and teachers. When everything is corrected, nothing stands out. Students don’t know what to focus on, and the feedback doesn’t lead to meaningful improvement.
Do you Correct Everything?
Most of us were trained to give comprehensive feedback. So we:
- mark every error
- point out every verb and agreement issue
- comment on word choice, spelling, accents, and syntax
And what happens?
Students:
- feel overwhelmed
- don’t know where to start
- ignore most of the feedback
- make the same errors again
I have handed back a writing assignment completely covered in red ink and a student looked at it and said:
“Can you just tell me what I actually need to fix?”
That moment stuck with me because they weren’t being lazy they were being honest.
Focused Error Correction & FOcused Correction Areas
These two effective approaches will completely change how you provide feedback on writing:
- Focused Error Correction (Gianfranco Conti)
- Focus Correction Areas (FCAs) (Collins Writing Program)
Both are built on a similar idea:
Students’ writing improves when we focus on a few key areas instead of everything at once.
Focused Error Correction – Conti
The idea behind Focused Error Correction is simple and effective:
Don’t correct everything. Correct only a small number of targeted error types.
Typically:
- 2–3 focus areas
- Aligned with your current instructional goals
- Repeated consistently over time
Why This Works
When students focus on fewer things:
- They actually notice the errors
- They understand the pattern
- They’re more likely to fix and retain it
Instead of scattered feedback, they get intentional practice.
What This Looks Like in Practice
Let’s say your current unit focuses on adjective agreement and articles. You decide that these are the only elements you’re focusing on this week.
So when you grade:
- You ignore other errors (yes, really)
- You only provide feedback adjective agreement and article use
Now your feedback is clear, consistent and actionable.
Classroom Tip: Build an Editing Routine
Before students submit writing, give them a simple checklist:
- Did I check every noun for gender?
- Do my adjectives agree?
- Did I use the correct article?
Now they’re doing part of the correction work themselves.
Focus Correction Areas (FCA’s) – Collins
The Collins Writing approach takes this one step further. You define 2–3 specific criteria for each writing assignment and only those are graded. These are your FCAs.
Example FCA’s for a Spanish Writing Task
Students write about their weekend.
Your FCAs might be:
- Use of past tense verbs
- Agreement between nouns and adjectives
- Use of transition words (y, pero, después)
That’s it.
Why FCA’s Are So Effective
Students know:
- exactly what matters
- exactly what to focus on
- exactly how they’ll be assessed
And teachers grade faster, give clearer feedback and avoid burnout
Classroom Tip: Make FCA’s Visible
Have students:
- Write the FCA’s at the top of their paper
- Highlight them in their writing
- Use them during peer editing
Now revision becomes intentional, not guesswork.
What You’ll Notice
When you shift to this approach:
✔ Students actually use your feedback
✔ Writing improves in targeted areas
✔ You spend less time grading
✔ Students feel more successful
And maybe most importantly…you won’t feel like you’re doing all the work.
Try This This Week
If you want to start small, here’s a simple plan:
Step 1: Pick ONE focus area (yes—just one)
Step 2: Tell students: “This is what I’m looking for in your writing.”
Step 3: Only correct that one thing
Step 4: Have students revise just that area
That’s it.
Go Further
If you want a practical, repeatable way to make participation work for all students, my Quick Win PD Course: Quick and Effective Writing Feedback walks you through exactly how to do it.
In just 30 minutes (and only $10), you’ll learn how to:
- Provide focused writing feedback by targeting a single area for improvement (Conti approach).
- Design writing tasks with a clear, pre-identified focus that students attend to while writing (Collins approach).
- Guide students to use feedback to improve communication through structured revision.
You’ll also get:
Audio walkthrough you can listen to anywhere
Detailed notes and examples across proficiency levels
A planning template to use again and again
A PD certificate to document your learning
This is part of the Quick Win PD Series, designed to give you strategies you can use immediately—without adding to your workload.
You can get the individual course or the Quick Win PD Growing Bundle, which gives you all 10 current courses plus all future ones.
