Great post! It is human nature to want feedback after exerting effort in any task. One problem with our current grading scales is that they are discrete: even with the conventional A-F scale, students can attain just one of 6 levels. Students interpret grades as labels; fixed judgements of their ability (indeed, they are often intended that way).

If we agree that the purpose of feedback is to give students a pathway towards improvement and to nurture a growth mindset, then one approach may be to refine the scale. Whatever the definition of such a scale, it should always convey a potential for growth: “you achieved X today…which is an improvement of Y from last week, and you can go even higher to Z next time”. That is surely more empowering than an arbitrary scale that imposes fixed labels.