The present qualitative research explored the barriers for markers to provide consistent and effective essay feedback when they used the Enhanced Rubric Method (ERM) which is a highly structured method for providing feedback. We identified three categories of barriers - markers’ underpinning values when providing feedback (different beliefs as to what is good feedback and empathy with students), personal differences in feedback provision (preferring certain assessment criteria and overusing feedback), and discrepant use of the ERM (learning the Quickmarks and criteria, creating own Quickmarks, different uses of positive feedback, and increased use of personalised feedback). These factors suggest that, despite markers’ best intentions towards students and principles of consistency, specific practical recommendations are necessary to ensure consistent and effective feedback across all markers on a given assignment. We provided three specific recommendations for practitioners, namely, assessing markers’ levels of feedback literacy prior to marking and reassuring markers that consistent and effective feedback helps students, co-designing the feedback method with markers, and providing continued targeted training for markers. Our results, practical, and future research recommendations can lead practitioners and academics to achieving satisfactory levels of consistent and effective feedback, can help markers’ professional development, and can aid student learning.

Keywords: feedback, Quickmarks, values, markers