Study and learning skills
Mock interview feedback: practise and reflect
Give kind, specific feedback after a practice interview for a fictional Saturday job at a garden centre. The rubric covers preparation, listening, communication, answer quality, questions and closing; a second page uses STAR prompts and reflection fields.
Read the material
Give kind, specific feedback after a practice interview for a fictional Saturday job at a garden centre. The rubric covers preparation, listening, communication, answer quality, questions and closing; a second page uses STAR prompts and reflection fields.
Complete resource. Use the preview for diagrams and layout.
Page 1
CANDIDATE INITIALS INTERVIEWER DATE LEARNING GOAL Give fair, specific feedback on a practice interview. SUCCESS CRITERIA I can match what I saw to a level from 1 to 4. 1 EMERGING 2 DEVELOPING 3 SECURE 4 STRONG SCORE Preparation and first impression on time, greeting, setting Late or unsure. No greeting. On time. Brief, quiet greeting. On time, clear greeting, suits setting. Early, warm greeting, well prepared. COMMENT Listening and body language listens, shows interest Talks over questions or misses what was asked. Listens, but loses focus at times. Hears each question out and shows it. Listens closely, answers what was asked. COMMENT Communication clear speech, order of answers Hard to follow. Answers wander. Mostly clear. Order slips. Clear speech. Answers have order. Clear, well paced, easy to follow. COMMENT Quality of answers examples, link to the role General statements with no examples. Some examples. Weak link to role. Specific examples linked to role. Strong examples with results, linked. COMMENT Questions asked by the candidate interest in the role Asks no questions. Asks a question, not about the role. Asks thoughtful role questions. Questions show research and listening. COMMENT Closing thanks, summary Ends suddenly. No thanks. Says thank you. No summary. Thanks them and sums up interest. Warm thanks, brief summary of strengths. COMMENT Total Six scores added up. out of 24 The total describes this one interview, not the person. Eye contact and handshakes are optional and never marked down. Invented role. Write initials only; the school keeps this under its policy. Mock interview feedback rubric · Page 1 of 2 CAREERS AGES 15 TO 18 INTERVIEWS Mock interview feedback Fictional role: a Saturday job at a garden centre.
Page 2
CANDIDATE INITIALS INTERVIEWER DATE Three questions Write each question you asked and a few notes. Tick each STAR part the answer included. A strong answer does not need every tick every time. 01 STAR = Situation, Task, Action, Result. QUESTION NOTES STAR Situation Task Action Result 02 QUESTION NOTES STAR Situation Task Action Result 03 QUESTION NOTES STAR Situation Task Action Result One strength Be specific: say what you heard. NOTICED One thing to try A small step for next time. TRY My overall comment Kind, honest and about the interview. COMMENT Mock interview feedback rubric · Page 2 of 2 CAREERS AGES 15 TO 18 INTERVIEWS Listening to answers
A teaching sequence
Reflect on interview responses and choose one specific strength and a manageable next step.
Prepare the fictional interview
Review the fictional garden-centre role and agree who will ask questions and who will practise as the candidate.
Which role requirements will the practice questions address?
Record observed feedback
Choose interview levels from observed preparation, listening, communication, answer quality, questions and closing. Add a respectful comment with a specific example from the practice.
Which answer or action supports the selected criterion level?
Track useful STAR evidence
On page 2, record three questions, brief notes and which STAR parts: Situation, Task, Action and Result, appeared in each answer.
Which situation, task, action or result appeared in this answer?
Choose a small next practice
Write one specific strength and one small next-practice action. Keep the overall comment kind, honest and about the practice interview.
What observed answer supports the specific step you want to try?
Before you teach
Look for the thinking behind an answer, choose the support your class needs and leave room for an independent response.
What to look for
Check that each rating is supported by an observed example and that feedback names an action rather than a personality trait. Eye contact and handshakes are explicitly optional and must not affect scores. The total is for one interview only, not an overall measure of the candidate.
Give a little support
Model constructive feedback and allow written or spoken practice. Use an interviewer the pupil trusts and offer an alternative format if a mock interview feels uncomfortable. Focus on preparation and examples rather than mannerisms such as eye contact or handshakes.
Take the idea further
Ask the candidate to choose one answer and revise it using STAR. They can practise again and compare the evidence-based feedback, noting one improvement and one point to keep.
Things to keep in mind
A mock interview is a practice activity and the rubric does not predict employment outcomes. Interview expectations vary by role and employer. The score describes one practice conversation and should not be used as a grade of a person.
Keep the idea. Make it yours.
Bring your topic, learning goal and class context to PLAI™, then review what you create.
Ideas to try with your class
Sample teaching perspectives on what to try, what to adapt and what to watch for.
Meet The Creators
Meet a creator whose teaching interests connect with this template.
Gentle Reminder
The two-page rubric rates six parts of one practice interview, from preparation and listening to answers, questions and closing, for a total out of 24. It explicitly says the total describes that interview, not the person.
Extra Page
The invented role keeps the exercise in rehearsal, and each criterion contrasts observable behaviours at four levels. A candidate can see how preparation, an example linked to the role and a closing summary differ across scores.
Organised Pile
The comment space after each row gives an interviewer room to name one observed strength and next step. The note that eye contact and handshakes are optional protects pupils from being marked down for those behaviours.
Pencil Case Pal
Use the rubric to give specific, fair feedback on one mock interview, not as a suitability score or personality judgement. Keep the role fictional and discuss what a higher-level response might look like without requiring eye contact.