Year 1 Maths Report Comments — Examples & Tips

Writing maths comments for Year 1 can feel repetitive when you have 30 children all working on similar objectives. The trick is to anchor each comment in something specific the child has done — a concrete example that shows the parent you genuinely know their child's mathematical ability.

Below you'll find example comments across a range of abilities, followed by practical tips for writing your own.

Number and Place Value

Confident: Amara can count reliably to 100 and beyond, and she confidently identifies one more and one less than any given number. She has a strong understanding of place value within 50 and is beginning to apply this knowledge when solving problems independently.

Developing: Oliver is becoming more confident when counting forwards and backwards within 20. He sometimes reverses teen numbers when writing them, and we are practising this regularly. With continued support at home, counting objects in everyday situations will help reinforce his understanding.

Addition and Subtraction

Confident: Isla demonstrates excellent recall of number bonds to 10 and is beginning to use these facts to solve additions within 20. She enjoys using part-whole models and can explain her reasoning clearly to her peers.

Working towards: Mohammed is developing his understanding of addition as combining two groups. He benefits from using practical resources such as cubes and counters to support his calculations, and he is making steady progress with regular practice.

Greater depth: Freya applies her knowledge of number bonds with impressive fluency. She can identify related subtraction facts from a given addition and is beginning to tackle missing-number problems with confidence. Her mathematical reasoning is a real strength.

Shape, Space and Measure

Confident: Leo can name and describe common 2D and 3D shapes, and he enjoys sorting them by their properties. He confidently uses language such as “longer,” “shorter,” “heavier” and “lighter” when comparing objects.

Developing: Priya is learning to recognise and name basic 2D shapes. She can identify circles and squares confidently and is beginning to describe their properties with support. Continued shape hunts at home would be a helpful next step.

Tips for Writing Year 1 Maths Comments

• Be specific: Instead of “good at maths,” say what they can actually do — count to 50, recall bonds to 5, recognise coins.
• Use curriculum language: Terms like “number bonds,” “place value” and “part-whole model” show parents you're assessing against the curriculum.
• Include a next step: Even for confident children, identify something they can work towards. Parents appreciate knowing where their child is heading.
• Keep it positive but honest: “Developing” and “working towards” are constructive ways to describe children who need more support.

For more examples, browse our Year 1 Maths comment bank with 10 ready-to-use comments. Or try Reportify to generate personalised maths comments for every child in your class in seconds.