For teachers
Kinds of assessment
There is no list of assessment types to choose from. Three settings decide what your assessment feels like: practice, a quiz, or an exam.
Marks itself, results straight away
Checking and marking are automatic, and each student sees their result when they submit. They find out how they did while the work is still fresh.
Good for practice and revision, and any work students can repeat.
You mark it, results together
Nothing is marked automatically, or you check the automatic marks first. You release the results when you are ready.
Good for a formal exam, and for work where the reasoning matters.
The three settings
Marking has three options. Each one needs the option above it.
- Check the answers automatically. Questions with one right answer are checked as soon as a student submits.
- Give them the marks too. Correct answers get their marks without you doing anything. You can only use this once checking is automatic.
- Take marks off for wrong answers. Each question can have its own penalty. You can only use this once marks are given automatically.
Show results decides when a student sees their result.
- When I release them. Students see nothing until you release the results, no matter how long ago they submitted.
- As soon as each student submits. Each student sees their result when they finish, without waiting for anyone else.
What students get back decides what the result includes.
- Mark & Comment. The mark and your comments together.
- Mark Only. The mark on its own.
- Comment Only. Your comments, with no mark.
Common combinations
| What you are setting | Marking | Show results | They get back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practice to repeat | Check and mark | As they submit | Mark & Comment |
| A quiz | Check and mark | As they submit | Mark Only |
| A formal exam | Check and mark | When released | Mark & Comment |
| Feedback, no grade | Nothing automatic | When released | Comment Only |
| A written piece | Nothing automatic | When released | Mark & Comment |
Comment Only is easy to overlook. It gives students your feedback without a number, which changes how they read it.
What your questions allow
Automatic checking only works on questions with one right answer: programs checked against test cases, choice questions, and true or false.
An open ended question always waits for you, whatever these settings say. So an assessment with both kinds comes back partly marked. That is normal, not a problem.
What next
Write the questions, then set the marking to match the kind of assessment you want.