Using Anchoring and Framing to Support Feedback and Growth

Helping students interpret grades and feedback through a positive lens

Imagine two students receiving the same grade, 68%, in a recent assessment. One walks away feeling proud, having improved from a previous score of 55%. The other feels deflated, having dropped from 80%. The grade hasn’t changed, but the story they tell themselves about it has. This is the power of anchoring and framing, two well-established concepts from behavioural science that shape how we interpret information and respond emotionally to it.

Anchoring: The First Comparison Matters

Anchoring refers to the cognitive bias where people rely too heavily on the first piece of information (the “anchor”) they receive when making decisions or judgements. In a feedback context, this anchor might be a previous grade, a peer’s performance, or even the student’s own expectations.

Teachers can strategically anchor feedback to promote growth mindsets. For example:

• Instead of presenting a grade in isolation, compare it to a previous performance:“You’ve improved by 10 marks since your last assessment, great evidence of your revision strategy working.”

• Use skill anchors to highlight progress in specific areas:“Your explanation of algorithms is now at GCSE level. That’s a big step forward from last term.”

This helps students focus on development over perfection and reduces the emotional sting of grades that fall short of arbitrary thresholds.

Framing: Language Shapes Perception

Framing is about the way information is presented. The same fact can be received positively or negatively depending on the words and tone used to deliver it.

Compare:

• “You lost marks on this section.”

• vs. “This section is a great opportunity to gain more marks next time, here’s how.”

The second is a growth frame: it turns deficits into opportunities, reinforcing the idea that learning is a process, not a test of worth. Teachers can apply positive framing by:

• Highlighting potential, not just performance

• Separating the person from the product

• Reinforcing effort, strategy, and choice as changeable levers for success

  
  

Designing a Feedback Culture

By combining anchoring and framing, we can build a feedback culture that enhances rather than hinders motivation. Consider the following classroom strategies:

• Anchor to progress, not perfection: Start student reflections with “Where were you last time?” before “Where are you now?”

• Frame feedback as guidance, not judgement: Replace evaluative phrases (“You’re not good at…”) with coaching language (“You’re building skill in…”).

• Anchor improvement targets to achievable actions: Instead of vague advice like “work harder,” give specific, positively framed goals: “Practise two timed questions before next week and compare your structure.”

  
  

The Emotional Side of Learning

For many students, especially those with anxiety, perfectionism, or neurodivergence, grades can feel like verdicts. But anchoring and framing let us reshape those moments into launchpads for growth. When students internalise the message that feedback is about progress, not proof, they begin to engage with it differently: more reflectively, less defensively.

Bottom line: Feedback isn’t just about what we say, it’s about how students hear it. Anchoring and framing allow us to be intentional about that, helping students interpret feedback as a mirror for growth, not a measure of identity.