Teachers know the struggle. The stacks of assignments and the endless time lost to marking.
76% of Australian teachers say their workload is unmanageable, according to a Monash University report. And a huge part of that is marking. The average teacher spends 9 weeks a year on it. That’s two months of your life.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
A better work-life balance goes beyond your sanity—it can also make you a better teacher. When you’re not buried under marking, you can have more energy for classroom engagement and life in general.
The good news is that there are ways to streamline marking, so it doesn’t consume so much of your time. And there’s a way to speed things up without sacrificing quality. MarkSmart is here to help.
Let’s talk about how you can mark smarter, not harder.
1. Set Clear Marking Boundaries
If you don’t control marking, it’ll control you. Here are some ways to set clear marking boundaries:
- Block out set marking times: Don’t just mark ‘when you have time’ (because that means all the time). Pick dedicated blocks for marking and try to stick to them.
- Use a timer: The Pomodoro technique works wonders. With this technique you can mark for 25 minutes, take a 5-minute break, and repeat. It can help you stay focused without burning out.
- Batch similar tasks: Jumping between different types of work can slow you down. Consider marking essays in one session and quizzes in another, for example.
And if it’s not done by Friday? Your weekend isn’t a backup plan.
2. Prioritise and Triage Your Marking
Not everything needs a deep dive. Some work deserves detailed feedback, but a lot of it can be marked quickly and moved on. Some tasks actually help students learn. Those are the ones worth your time.
- Major assessments, such as essays, reports, and analytical responses, require detailed feedback.
- When students are introduced to a new concept, they need clear guidance to help them understand and apply it.
- Assignments that will be revised benefit from thoughtful feedback, as students have the opportunity to improve their work.
For these, take a bit longer. Point out what’s working, what’s not, and what they can do next time. Keep it short, clear, and actionable.
3. Stay Organised
Messy marking wastes time. Keeping a simple system in place when collecting and organising student work helps everything run more smoothly.
For paper-based responses, try:
- using folders for each assessment to keep student work in order
- colour-coding by class so you can quickly find what you need
- ticking off an enrolment list as work is handed in to keep track of submissions
A clear system from the start makes marking easier and helps you stay on top of student work without extra admin.
4. Build Efficient Feedback Loops
Feedback should go beyond correcting mistakes. Good feedback should also guide students forward. This is where feedforward learning comes in. Instead of just pointing out what went wrong, your feedback should give students clear, actionable next steps to improve. If they aren’t using your feedback to adjust their work, it’s just wasted effort. The goal is to make feedback fast, functional, and meaningful, not a lengthy explanation for every small error.
5. Embrace Digital Tools Like MarkSmart
If you want to mark faster without sacrificing quality, you need a system built for the job. That’s where MarkSmart comes in. Here’s how it helps:
- Students upload their work, so there’s no need to deal with paper stacks or lost assignments.
- Drag-and-drop feedback using a built-in code bank, so you can provide detailed comments in seconds.
- Save up to 40% of your marking time, which adds up to nearly four extra weeks a year.
- MarkSmart is designed by Australian teachers for Australian teachers, aligning with the Australian curriculum unlike generic AI tools that just teach to the test.
- The platform handles handwritten work, unlike AI platforms that struggle to read student handwriting.
MarkSmart doesn’t just add another tool to your workflow. It totally replaces the old, time-consuming way of marking.
Ready to Reclaim Your Weekends?
Marking isn’t going away. But it doesn’t have to take over your life. With the right strategies, and a little help from MarkSmart, you can cut your marking time, stay organised, and still give quality feedback.
Want to see how it works? Take MarkSmart for a test drive or book a tailored walkthrough for your school to start marking smarter today.