Entering Marks
Grades → Grades by Discipline is the marks grid. It shows one class and one subject at a time. Each row is a pupil and each column is a part of the markbook: a grade, an effort level, a target, a comment. You type or pick a value in a cell and MarkBook saves it.
Open a class and a subject
Use the filter row at the top of the page. Pick, in this order:
| Filter | What it does |
|---|---|
| Academic year | The school year you are marking in. |
| Class / Year group | The class. You see the classes Kinderpedia gives you. |
| Template | The markbook template that holds the columns. Most classes have one. |
| Discipline | The subject. Only subjects you may open are listed. |
Press Apply. The grid loads. Clear puts the filters back to empty.
TIP
The grid remembers your last choice. When you come back tomorrow, your class and subject are already selected.
If the grid does not open
| Message | What it means |
|---|---|
| "You do not teach this class and subject. Pick one of yours from the filters above." | The subject exists, but it is not allocated to you in this class. |
| "None of this template's subjects can be opened by you in this class." | A subject may be shown only in another kind of class (see Display in on Subjects), or you may need a role that can edit grades. Ask a school administrator. |
| "What this page needs" with a list | The school has not finished setup: no school year, no template, or no class. An administrator can fix it from the links on the page. |
The first time anyone opens a subject in a class, MarkBook creates the markbook for it. That is why a new cell may say "Nothing has been recorded for this subject and class yet". Your first entry creates it.
Enter a mark
How a cell behaves depends on its column type.
| Column type | What you do |
|---|---|
| Grade or rating (for example A, B, C or Emerging, Expected) | Click the cell. A picker with the coloured values of the scale opens. Choose one. To clear the cell, choose Clear. |
| Number | Click the cell and type. Press Enter to save. |
| Text | Click the cell and type. Press Enter to save. |
| Comment | Click the cell. A Teacher comment panel opens. Write the comment and press Save. |
A number must be inside the range of its column. A grade must be a value of the column's scale. If you type something else, the cell shows a message such as "Grade not in scale" and keeps the old value.
If your school turned on keyboard entry for the template, you can also move and type without the mouse. See Keyboard & Bulk Entry.
Comments
Comment columns open a side panel with the pupil's name and the due date of the period. A comment needs at least 50 characters. The panel shows who last edited it and offers View history. If the column is under review, an approved comment cannot be edited. See Checking & Approving Columns.
Target columns
Target columns (for example TG or PTG) are the school's prediction, not your observation. To enter them you need the permission Set target grades. Many schools fill them with an import instead. See Importing Marks & Targets.
Example: Year 9 Mathematics
Ms Ionescu opens Academic year 2026–2027, Class / Year group 9B, Discipline Mathematics. The grid has 24 pupils. She sees three columns for Term 1A: Report Grade, Effort and Comment.
- She clicks Alex Popescu's Report Grade cell and picks B.
- She clicks the Effort cell and picks Good.
- She clicks Comment, writes two sentences, and presses Save.
Each of the three saves is stored with her name and the time. Each one appears in the cell history. See Cell History & Restore.
Why a cell can be read-only
When you hover over a cell you cannot change, MarkBook tells you why. These are the real reasons.
| Message | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "Your school has not given you permission to enter marks." | Your role does not include Enter and change marks. | Ask an administrator to change your role under Configuration → Users & Roles. |
| "Calculated automatically — this value comes from a formula and cannot be typed." | The column is a formula, for example value added. | Change the marks it is built from. See Calculated Columns & Formulas. |
| "This column is locked (read-only) for everyone." | The column's value type is locked. | An administrator can change the setting in the Column Library. |
| "Only whoever leads this subject or class can edit this column." | The column is limited to leaders. | A head of department, coordinator or senior leader can edit it. See Leadership Roles. |
| "Locked because the markbook has been published." | A report was published and the column locks after publishing. | Ask a leader. |
| "This reporting period is locked." | An administrator closed the period. | They can unlock it. See Locking a Period. |
| "This column is waiting to be checked — a leader must return it before marks can change." | The column was sent for checking. | Wait for the leader, or ask them to Return it. |
| "This column has been approved — a leader must reopen it before marks can change." | The column was signed off. | A leader presses Reopen. |
| "This column is read-only." | Another setting on the column makes it read-only. | Ask an administrator. |
Two more cases do not show a message in the cell:
- A pupil marked left the class keeps a row. Only a leader of that markbook or a manager can edit it.
- A form tutor subject can be written only by the main teachers of the class.
WARNING
A lock always wins. Even a manager cannot type into a locked period until someone unlocks it.
Export the grid
The Export button saves what you see on screen, with your filters, as CSV, XLSX or PDF. You need the permission Export the grid.