AI Essay Marker for Teachers and Trainers
Marked to your rubric, at the right level
Paste an essay or upload it as a PDF or Word document, set the learner’s level, and add your marking rubric if you have one. A few seconds later you have a suggested mark, a comment written to the learner, and the rationale for the mark — laid out in a table.
It is built for the way marking actually works in UK schools, colleges and universities: the same essay is judged differently at KS3 than at A Level or degree level, and the mark comes from your criteria, not a generic score.
What you can do
Marks against your own rubric
Paste your criteria and band descriptors or upload the rubric as a PDF or Word file. Every criterion gets its own mark, comment and rationale, on the scale your rubric uses — marks, bands or grades.
Pitched at the learner’s level
Choose KS3 (age 11–14) or Level 1 to Level 7 — GCSE, A Level and T Level, HNC, HND and foundation degree, Bachelor’s, Master’s and PGCE. The essay is marked to the standard expected at that level.
A table you can read at a glance
Criterion, suggested mark, comment to the learner and rationale for the mark, side by side, with an overall row at the bottom. Copy the whole table into Word, Docs or an email in one click.
Feedback written to the learner
Each comment says what the learner did well and the most useful thing to do next, in language suited to their level — ready to adapt rather than written from scratch.
The reasoning behind every mark
A separate rationale, written to you, explains what in the essay earned the mark and what held it back from the next band — so you can check the judgement instead of taking it on trust.
Paste, PDF or Word
Copy and paste the essay, or upload a PDF or .docx. The text is read in your browser and shown to you before marking, and the essay is not stored afterwards.
Watch it in action
A second marker, not a replacement for one
The AI gives you a first pass: a suggested mark, draft feedback and its reasoning. It never releases anything to a learner. You read the essay, check each mark against the rationale, change what you disagree with, and decide what the learner sees.
- 🤖AI suggests a mark, a comment and a rationale for every criterion.
- 🧑🏫You check each one against the essay — the final mark is always yours.
- 🔁Mark a whole class set against the same rubric without re-entering it.
- 🔒The essay is read, marked and discarded — it is not saved.
Frequently asked questions
Can AI mark essays?
AI can give a useful first mark: it reads the essay, applies your rubric at the level you set and explains its reasoning. It is not a substitute for a teacher’s judgement, which is why ColabYard presents every mark as a suggestion with the rationale beside it for you to check.
What is an AI essay marker?
An AI essay marker reads an essay and suggests a mark with written feedback. ColabYard’s marks against the rubric you provide and to the level you set, and shows the rationale for every mark so you can check it. It is a marking aid for teachers and trainers, not an automatic grader.
Can AI mark an essay against my own rubric?
Yes. Paste your criteria and band descriptors, or upload the rubric as a PDF or Word document. Each criterion in the rubric gets its own suggested mark, comment and rationale, followed by an overall mark.
What if I don’t have a rubric?
The essay is still marked. Without a rubric you get a single overall mark, a comment to the learner and the rationale, judged on how well the essay answers the title, its knowledge, argument, structure and accuracy at the level you chose.
Which levels does it cover?
KS3 (age 11–14) and Levels 1 to 7 of the UK qualification framework: Level 1 and 2 (GCSE), Level 3 (A Levels, T Levels, BTEC Nationals), Level 4 (HNC), Level 5 (HND and foundation degrees), Level 6 (Bachelor’s degrees) and Level 7 (Master’s degrees and PGCE).
What file types can I upload?
PDF and Word (.docx) files, for both the essay and the rubric — or you can paste the text. The file needs to contain typed text: a scanned or photographed handwritten essay can’t be read, and older .doc files need saving as .docx first.
Is the learner’s essay stored?
No. The essay is read, marked and discarded. It is not saved to your account, and the result stays on your screen until you copy it or leave the page.
Is the AI’s mark final?
No. Every mark is a suggestion for you to review. The rationale beside each mark is there so you can see why it was suggested and overrule it where your professional judgement differs.
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