Delivering Feedback

Delivering Feedback

The guidance outlined on this page covers marking on the platform where standard marker allocation is in use (i.e. how to mark for the majority of assessments). The following guidance may also be useful:

Video guidance is also available. Access New Marking Tool Video Guides.

Note: the legacy marking tool was fully deprecated in March 2026 and is no longer available to use. All flows, including archived assessments, have been converted to the new marking tool. For more information on this transition, see UNIwise’s news article: Conversion of Flows from Legacy to New Marking Tool.

Overview of the Marking Tool

Click on a flow (assessment) from your overview which is open for marking.

On the main flow page, click the Start marking or Resume marking button to load the first student submission in the new marking tool:

A screenshot of the marking tool in WISEflow. Various parts of the image have been labelled from 1 to 8. Detailed descriptions of each label follow below.
  1. View a list of allocated participants (students), navigate to the next submission

  2. Full screen, zoom and page layout options

  3. Annotation tools and annotation list view

  4. Options to access the submission overview (including submitted files and offline marking), rubrics, submission feedback (comments) and enter/ submit grades

  5. Access common feedback (comments for all allocated students)

  6. A view of the current selected submission/ file

  7. Exit the new marking tool

  8. Toggle the quick navigation panel

 

Feedback can be delivered in three ways:

Annotations

Making an Annotation

Click on the appropriate option from the annotations toolbar, depending on the type of annotation you’d like to make:

A screenshot of the new marking tool. The annotations toolbar is highlighted.

Specific annotation formats:

Annotate:

  • Underline

  • Highlight

  • Free text

  • Note

  • Squiggly underline

  • Strikethrough

Shapes:

  • Basic shapes (square/ rectangle, circle, polygon)

  • Freehand drawing

  • Freehand highlight

  • Lines

Insert:

  • Rubber stamp

  • Signature

  • Date

Tip: most of the pre-set rubber stamps are not particularly useful for marking student papers but you can create your own custom stamps.

Once you have selected a type of annotation, you can select the specific format from the annotation toolbar. Further colour options can be accessed from the colour dropdown menu, including custom colours and opacity:

A screenshot of the new marking tool. Options for a highlighting annotation are displayed, including a range of colours.

To make an annotation, left click to highlight your chosen piece of text, click on a space in the student submission or draw on the submission as appropriate.

When you release the left click, an annotation box will appear after a slight delay in the annotation list view to the right of the submission:

A screenshot showing completed annotations available in the annotation list view.

You can type additional feedback in the text field of the annotation box:

A screenshot of an annotation selected from the list view. Additional text commentary has been added.

Repeat this process as needed to continue adding annotations to the student submission.

Tip: although there are no visible formatting options for this typed feedback, it is possible to use keyboard shortcuts for bold, underlined and/ or italicised text. You can also still produce bulleted lists by entering a dash before text, or numbered lists by entering “1.” before text.

Sharing an Annotation

To change who your annotation is shared with, select an annotation from the annotation list view and click on the sharing options, represented by a coloured square in the upper right corner:

A screenshot of an annotation in the annotation list view. The button used to change sharing settings is highlighted.

From here you can choose one of the following sharing settings:

  • Co-assessors: visible only to you and other markers or reviewers allocated to the student

  • Participants: visible only to you and the student(s)

  • All: visible to you, the student(s) and any other markers or reviewers allocated to the student

  • Private: visible only to you and any reviewers allocated to the student

Note: feedback that is shared with a participant/ student is not available to them instantly. Students will only be able to access shared feedback when the following conditions are met:

  • A grade has been entered and submitted for them (the grade does not have to be released to the student)

  • The marking period has ended

OR

  • Early release of feedback is enabled on the assessment and you have released the feedback to the student

Editing or Deleting an Annotation

To edit or delete an existing annotation you have made, select an annotation from the annotation list view. This will reveal options on the annotation to edit typed commentary, change the colour of the annotation or delete it.

A screenshot of an annotation selected directly on the student submission. Options to edit or delete the annotation are highlighted.

You can also click the ellipsis button in upper right corner of the listed annotation to access edit/ delete options:

A screenshot of an annotation seen in the list view. The ellipses button is highlighted and has revealed options to edit or delete.

From here you can edit the typed feedback associated with the annotation or delete the annotation.

Search, Sort, Filter and Bulk Selection

There are a number of ways to search for and organise annotations:

A labelled screenshot of the annotation list view.
  1. Search for an annotation. You can search by co-assessor name, annotation reference code or written commentary.

  2. Sort annotations by their position in the document, date, sharing state, co-assessor, type or colour.

  3. Enable multi select. This will produce check boxes next to each annotation, allowing you to select multiple annotations to amend their sharing settings, colour or delete them in one go.

  4. Filter annotations by co-assessor, sharing state, colour or type.

Note: while multi select is enabled, it is not possible to edit any typed commentary in an annotation. If you find you are unable to edit annotation feedback, check to make sure you have switched multi select off.

A screenshot of the annotation list view. The option to enable multi-select for annotations is highlighted.

Submission/ Common Feedback (Comments)

Submission Feedback (Comments for Individual Students)

Submission feedback can be used to provide overall commentary on a student’s submission. To leave submission feedback, click the Submission Feedback button in the upper right of the page:

A screenshot of the new marking tool. The submission feedback button is highlighted.

The submission feedback panel will appear on the right:

A labelled screenshot of the submission feedback panel.
  1. Add and format typed commentary.

  2. Change the sharing settings.

  3. Attach files to your feedback.

  4. Cancel (any unsaved changes will be lost).

  5. Submit your feedback.

  6. Sort and filter options. Filter existing submission feedback based on their sharing state or feedback author (co-assessor). Sort by feedback author or date.

Repeat this process as needed to continue adding submission feedback.

Common Feedback (Comments for All Allocated Students)

WARNING: Do not enter feedback intended for an individual student this way. Instead, view the guidance above on how to deliver Submission Feedback (Comments for Individual Students).

Common feedback can be used to provide overall commentary to all of your allocated students. To leave common feedback, click the Common Feedback button on the left hand navigation bar:

A screenshot of the new marking tool. The common feedback button is highlighted.

The common feedback panel will appear on the left:

A labelled screenshot of the common feedback panel.
  1. Add and format typed commentary.

  2. Change the sharing settings.

  3. Attach files to your feedback.

  4. Cancel (any unsaved changes will be lost).

  5. Submit your feedback.

  6. Sort and filter options. Filter existing common feedback based on their sharing state or feedback author (co-assessor). Sort by feedback author or date.

Once you have finished typing your commentary and making any other changes, click Submit to finish. Repeat this process as needed to continue adding common feedback.

Sharing Submission/ Common Feedback

You can change the sharing settings from the default when you first add submission or common feedback by using the feedback sharing dropdown menu:

A screenshot of a newly entered piece of submission feedback in the marking tool. The dropdown menu used to change the feedback sharing settings is highlighted.

Or you can edit the sharing settings of existing submission or common feedback by clicking the kebab button on the relevant piece of feedback:

A screenshot of an existing piece of submission feedback in the marking tool in WISEflow. The kebab button used to edit the sharing settings is highlighted.

Sharing options:

  • Co-assessors: visible only to you and other markers or reviewers allocated to the student

  • Participants: visible only to you and the student(s)

  • All: visible to you, the student(s) and any other markers or reviewers allocated to the student

  • Private: visible only to you and any reviewers allocated to the student

Note: feedback that is shared with a participant/ student is not available to them instantly. Students will only be able to access shared feedback when the following conditions are met:

  • A grade has been entered and submitted for them (the grade does not have to be released to the student)

  • The marking period has ended

OR

  • Early release of feedback is enabled on the assessment and you have released the feedback to the student

Editing or Deleting Submission/ Common Feedback

To edit or delete an existing piece of submission or common feedback that you have made, click the Submission Feedback button or Common Feedback button as appropriate and find the feedback in the Feedback overview.

Click on the paperclip icon to attach a feedback file, the pencil icon to edit typed commentary or the ellipsis icon to delete the feedback or amend sharing settings:

A screenshot of existing submission feedback, seen in the feedback overview. Option to attach files, edit or delete the submission feedback are highlighted.

Any files that are attached to your submission or common feedback can be downloaded, previewed or deleted by clicking the appropriate icon.

Rubrics

Marking with a Rubric

If a rubric has been attached to the flow by a Manager, you can access this by clicking the Rubrics button on the upper right of the page:

A screenshot of the new marking tool. The rubrics button has been highlighted.

The rubrics panel will appear on the right:

A screenshot of the rubrics panel. A standard rubric is available for marking.

Complete all necessary parts of the rubric. Once all of the required questions have been filled out, click Approve rubric to finish:

A screenshot of the rubrics panel. All parts of the rubric have been completed and the Approve rubric button is highlighted.

 

Editing and Sharing a Rubric

If you have already completed your rubric, it will need to be reopened for editing. Click on the Rubrics button on the upper right of the page to bring up the Rubrics panel.

Scroll down to the bottom of your rubric and click Reopen rubric:

A screenshot of a completed rubric. The Reopen rubric button has been highlighted.

You will then be able to make changes to any written/ audio feedback or select different ratings for the rubric criteria as needed. Once you have made your changes, make sure you click Approve rubric again to finish.

Tip: If the completed rubric is indicative of the grade for a submission, make sure these both still align when you are making changes.

Sharing settings for a rubric can be accessed via a dropdown menu in the rubric panel’s header:

image-20251003-102654.png

Tip: you can amend the sharing settings for your rubric without reopening it.

Options for sharing:

  • Co-assessors: visible only to you and other markers or reviewers allocated to the student

  • Participants: visible only to you and the student(s)

  • All: visible to you, the student(s) and any other markers or reviewers allocated to the student

  • Private: visible only to you and any reviewers allocated to the student

Note: feedback that is shared with a participant/ student is not available to them instantly. Students will only be able to access shared feedback when the following conditions are met:

  • A grade has been entered and submitted for them (the grade does not have to be released to the student)

  • The marking period has ended

OR

  • Early release of feedback is enabled on the assessment and you have released the feedback to the student

Viewing Shared Feedback

Shared Annotations

Annotations that have been shared with you can be seen directly inside the new marking tool, where they appear on the student submission and in the annotation list view:

image-20240426-154808.png

Shared Submission/ Common Feedback (Comments)

Submission or common feedback that has been shared with you can be seen directly inside the new marking tool, either through the submission feedback panel or the common feedback panel:

A screenshot of the submission feedback panel. The button used to access this panel and a marker's shared feedback are both highlighted.
A screenshot of the common feedback panel. The button used to access this panel and a marker's shared feedback are both highlighted.

 

Shared Rubrics

Any completed rubrics that have been shared with you can be accessed via the Rubrics panel. Click on the Rubrics button on the upper right of the page to bring up the Rubrics panel.

A screenshot of the new marking tool. The rubrics button has been highlighted.

Inside the panel, click on the Shared rubrics button:

A screenshot of the rubrics panel. The Shared rubrics button is highlighted.

This will bring up a read only version of any shared rubrics:

image-20240426-160241.png

You can use the dropdown menu here to view a rubric completed by a different marker, if applicable.

 

Tips for Saving Space

Hide the Annotation List View

To hide the annotation list view, click on the annotations button on the right hand side of the top toolbar:

image-20240419-114411.png

If you need to see the annotation list view at any point, click the annotations button again to bring it back.

Use Zoom, Full Screen or Page Layout Functionality

Browser Zoom

Using CTRL+ or CTRL- (CMD+/ CMD- for Mac) to zoom in or out of AssessmentUCL/ WISEflow on your browser may help create more space. Zooming out to about 80% can still provide a comfortable working view depending on your device’s resolution.

New Marking Tool Zoom, Full Screen and Page Layout Options

Options within the new marking tool to change your view of the student submission can be accessed from the top toolbar:

image-20240419-113631.png
  1. Enter full screen view. Annotations can still be used in this view.

  2. Access page layout options. If you are not using annotations to deliver feedback, Reader mode can be helpful (submission/ common feedback and rubrics can still be used in this view).

  3. Set the zoom level for the submission you are viewing. Unlike browser zoom settings, the other elements of the new marking tool (i.e. panels and toolbars) will stay the same size.

Adjust or Hide the Right Hand Panel

The right hand panel which can contain information on the Submission Overview, Rubrics, Submission Feedback or Grade can take up a lot of real estate on the page.

Hovering your cursor over the edge of the panel will allow you to click and drag to readjust the width of the right hand panel:

image-20240419-115508.png

Tip: each panel has a minimum width. The submission feedback panel and the grade panel are the ones that can be reduced the most!

To hide the right hand panel completely, click on the Submission Overview, Rubrics, Submission Feedback or Grade button, depending on what the panel is displaying:

A screenshot of the new marking tool. The buttons used to open various right hand panels are highlighted.

If you need to see the right hand panel at any point, click on any of these buttons again to bring it back.