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Mark my answer: free exam answer checker
Paste an exam-style question, the marks it's worth and your answer. You get an estimated mark, the points you earned and missed, and one clear way to improve, marked in the style of your exam board if you choose one.
Explain how a headland can be eroded to form a stack.
4out of 6Level 2 of 3
- Hydraulic action widens cracks into a cave
- The cave erodes through to form an arch
- A named example: Old Harry, Dorset
- Why the arch roof collapses
Example answer. Every mark is an estimate.
Last reviewed ·
How to use the answer marker
- 01
Paste the exam question and choose how many marks it is worth.
- 02
Pick your exam board and level if you know them, then paste or write your answer.
- 03
Choose Mark my answer to see your estimated mark, the points you earned and missed, and how to improve.
How the marking works
The marker follows the same evidence rules Aripsy uses to check answers in the study tool, so you can see why each mark was given.
- Questions worth up to 5 marks are point-marked. Aripsy writes the creditworthy points for the question, and each one your answer clearly shows earns a mark, up to the total.
- Questions worth 6 marks or more are marked by levels of response, the best-fit approach exam boards use for extended answers. The whole answer is placed in a level, then given a mark within it.
- A point only counts when your own words show it. Every credited point is checked against a quote from your answer, and a point you contradict elsewhere is withheld.
- When you choose a board, the marker uses that board's published meaning of the command word and its general conventions, such as AQA's requirement that Evaluate answers reach a judgement.
- Marks are estimates. Aripsy doesn't have the exam board's own mark scheme for your question, so treat the result as practice feedback, not a predicted grade.
Command word meanings are paraphrased from the boards' published lists: AQA command words · Cambridge International command words
Command words and what they ask for
The command word tells you what earns the marks. These meanings follow the published AQA and Cambridge International lists; other boards use similar wording.
- State, Give, Name: a short answer from memory. No explanation needed.
- Describe: say what something is like or what happens. Reasons aren't needed.
- Explain: give reasons or causes. Each point needs its “because” or “so”.
- Suggest: apply what you know to an unfamiliar case. Any reasonable, justified idea can earn credit.
- Compare: give similarities and/or differences. Writing about only one thing isn't a comparison.
- Assess: make an informed judgement about how important or successful something is.
- Evaluate: judge from the evidence, weighing both sides, and reach a supported judgement.
- To what extent: judge how far something is true or successful, and finish with a conclusion.
What levels of response mean
For longer answers, exam boards publish level descriptors instead of a list of points. In general terms they move from basic to detailed:
- 01Basic: simple, mostly descriptive points with little explanation.
- 02Clear: relevant points explained, with some development and linking.
- 03Detailed: well-developed, linked reasoning applied to the question, with a supported judgement where one is asked for.
Boards use different numbers of levels for different questions. This tool uses three levels up to 9 marks and four levels above that.
Tips for higher marks
- 01Answer the command word: Describe asks what happens, Explain asks why it happens.
- 02Check the marks. On point-marked questions each mark needs its own creditworthy point, so a 4-mark question needs more than one idea.
- 03Use the case study, source or data the question names. General knowledge alone stays in the lower levels.
- 04For Evaluate, Assess and To what extent, finish with a clear judgement and say why.
Frequently asked questions
Is the answer marker free?
Yes. Your first check works without an account. After that, a free account gives you 3 checks a day, and Pro includes 50 a day.
Does it use the official mark scheme?
No. Aripsy writes marking points for your question and checks your answer against them, following the exam board's published approach when you choose one. Your mark is an estimate and can differ from a real examiner's.
Which exam boards can it mark in the style of?
AQA, Pearson Edexcel (including International GCSE), OCR, WJEC and Eduqas, Cambridge IGCSE, O Level and International AS & A Level, the IB Diploma and AP. Without a board, it uses general exam conventions.
Can it mark 6-mark, 9-mark and essay questions?
Yes. Questions worth 6 marks or more are marked by levels of response: your answer gets a best-fit level and a mark within it, and you see what a higher level needs. Questions up to 30 marks and answers up to about 1,000 words work.
What if the question uses a figure or a source?
Paste the question with any text from the source it relies on. The marker can't see images, maps or graphs, and it tells you when a question can't be marked without them.
Can I check answers in other languages?
Yes. Write your answer in the language of the question. Feedback on how to improve comes back in the language you write in.
Is my answer stored?
Your question and answer are saved in this browser so they're there when you come back. To mark them, Aripsy sends them to a third-party AI provider. The free tool doesn't save them to an account, and Aripsy doesn't train its own models on them.