Question 1

Is my students' work stored on your servers?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but only in encrypted, private storage. Scanned papers and mark schemes are never publicly accessible — every view is served through a short-lived, secure link that expires quickly. We never use your students' work to train AI models, and you can delete a pupil's folder and everything in it at any time.

Question 2

How does the app know which pupil each paper belongs to?

Accepted Answer

Each class has a folder per pupil. When you scan or upload work inside a pupil's folder, it's filed to that pupil automatically — no name recognition needed. If names are written on the papers, the AI also picks them up and matches them to your roster, flagging anything it can't match confidently for you to confirm.

Question 3

Can you link to our school's MIS (management information system)?

Accepted Answer

Not yet. Today you build your class lists by typing or pasting pupil names, or by capturing/uploading a class list photo or spreadsheet and letting the app read it. A direct MIS integration is on our roadmap — if it's important to your school, get in touch and we'll keep you posted.

Question 4

Which exam boards does it work with?

Accepted Answer

It works with any mark scheme you supply — AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC/Eduqas, or your own department's scheme. Because the AI reads your uploaded scheme rather than a fixed list, you're not limited to particular boards. We also have dedicated guides for AQA, Edexcel and OCR.

Question 5

Can I reuse my department's KS3 mark scheme and target sheet?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. Upload the scheme once and save it to your reusable schemes library — then pick it from a dropdown whenever you set work for that class or year group. It works just as well for KS3 target sheets and departmental rubrics as it does for GCSE papers.

Question 6

What does it cost?

Accepted Answer

Your first assignment is marked completely free — no card needed. After that, you buy credit packs for the type of marking you do: exam assessment papers, classwork pages, or coursework submissions. There's also an annual Whole School plan at $1,899 that gives every teacher in the school unlimited marking.

Question 7

What exactly does one credit cover?

Accepted Answer

One credit marks one unit of work, depending on the pack it comes from: one exam assessment paper, one classwork page, or one coursework submission. Credits only leave your balance when work is actually graded — reusing a saved scheme, scanning, and reviewing results cost nothing. Your current balance is always shown in the app.

Question 8

Can I scan work using my phone?

Accepted Answer

Yes — that's the fastest way. Open a pupil's folder, tap capture, and use your phone camera in rapid-fire mode: take photos one after another without pausing, and the app auto-crops each page. You can also upload PDFs or images instead if you prefer a scanner.

Question 9

Does it cope with handwriting?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The AI reads handwriting on the scans and marks the answers against your scheme. Legible handwriting grades reliably; very messy or faint writing may be flagged for your review rather than guessed at — you always make the final call on anything uncertain.

Question 10

Which AI model does SmartMark use?

Accepted Answer

We use a purpose-built vision AI pipeline: it reads each page image, extracts the pupil's answers, and grades them strictly against your mark scheme. Your students' work is never used to train any model, and every script the AI is less than fully confident about is flagged for your review before a mark is finalised.

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