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How do I mark an Exam-Style Question assignment?

Marking and giving feedback on ESQ submissions

Written by Honey Jane Santos

Note: This article references IB DP exam-style questions. For IGCSE, these are called Test practice questions.

Once your students have completed their Exam-Style Question (ESQ) assignment online, you can mark their responses and give feedback directly in Kognity — no need to collect or mark paper answers by hand.

  1. Open the assignment
    From your class dashboard, click the "Assignments" tab in the left-hand menu, then select the ESQ assignment you want to mark from either the "Active assignments" or "Past Assignments" list.
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    Assignments page showing Active and Past assignment tabs, with a list of active assignments displaying the assignment name, type, subject classes, sent date, and deadline.

  2. Review question progress
    Opening the assignment brings you to its overview page. Here you'll see:

    • The list of Questions included in the assignment

    • Question progress, showing how many students have completed each question per subject class (e.g., "Students completed 1/2")

    • Click on the question you'd like to mark.

      ESQ assignment overview showing the assignment name, due date, send date, list of questions with student completion counts, and a Question progress panel showing completion status per class.

  3. Open the Student submissions tab
    On the question page, click Student submissions to view and mark student answers.

    Student submissions view for an ESQ assignment, showing individual student responses per question, submission status filters, marks per question breakdown, and options for anonymous grading and sending scores and feedback.

    From here you can:

    • Select class — choose which class's submissions to view, if the assignment was sent to more than one class

    • Turn on Anonymous grading to hide student names while marking

    • Use the Show filter to view All, Submitted, Not submitted, Scored, or Not Scored students

    • Select a student from the list to view their submitted answer, alongside Marking guidance (an example answer and marking notes) to help you assess it
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  4. Review the AI suggested score (if available)
    If AI suggested scoring is turned on for your subject, you’ll see a label in the assignment saying so. A suggested score is generated automatically as soon as a student submits, which can take a short moment. When you open the student’s submission, you’ll see the suggested score and the reasoning behind it. The reasoning explains how the answer was scored against the mark scheme and what the student included or missed.
    ​

    AI suggested scoring works for typed answers, including longer responses marked with markbands. It also works for drawings, diagrams and annotated images on questions that ask students to upload an image.

    • If you agree, accept the suggestion.

    • If you don’t, decline it and select the mark you think is right (see step 5).

    You always make the final decision. Students only see the score you confirm. We recommend reading the reasoning before accepting, as AI can occasionally get a score wrong.

    AI Scoring

    Tip: If you’d prefer to mark everything yourself, untick the AI scoring box to turn it off. Photos of handwritten written answers can’t be scored reliably yet, so if your students work on paper, you’ll need to mark those answers yourself.
    ​

  5. Select the appropriate mark
    Under Marking → Marks, you'll see mark-band descriptors for each sub-question, describing the standard of response required for each mark.
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    Teacher marking view showing a student's submitted response alongside the mark scheme, marking guidance, marks breakdown per question, and options to send scores and feedback or add a teacher note.


    For example, for a 2-mark question:

    • 2 marks — Award for a full, clear answer that conveys knowledge and understanding

    • 1 mark — Award for a basic answer that conveys partial knowledge and understanding

    • 0 marks — The work does not reach the standard described by the descriptor

    Click the mark band that best matches the student's answer. Your selection is highlighted, and the mark is automatically added to the Marks per question panel on the right. Repeat this for each sub-question — the Total updates as you go.
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  6. Add feedback for the student
    Below the marking descriptors, use the Feedback field to write a comment for the student. This is visible to the student once sent, alongside their marks.
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    Feedback section in the teacher marking view, showing a text field where teachers can add written feedback for a student's response.

  7. Add a teacher note (optional)
    If you'd like to leave a private note — for yourself or other teachers — use the Teacher note field beneath the Marks per question panel.

    Teacher note section in the marking view, showing a private text field for teachers to add internal notes that are not shared with students.

    This is not shared with students. It's separate from the Feedback field above, which students can see.
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  8. Send scores and feedback
    Once you've entered marks for all sub-questions and added any feedback, click Send scores & feedback to release the results to the student.
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    Marks per question summary panel showing individual question scores and a total, with the Send scores & feedback button highlighted.

Need Further Assistance?

If you have any questions or require more help, please don't hesitate to reach out. You can click the chat bubble at the bottom right corner of your screen on the platform, or send us an email at support@kognity.com. We're here to help!

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