Mark That PaperYOUR AI MARKING ASSISTANTThe Mark That Paper blog
Practical guides on rubrics, marking criteria and honest AI feedback — for teachers with a stack to mark and students with a draft to strengthen.
AP
AP exams: how the argumentative and synthesis essays are scored
The rubric rows for AP Lang and Seminar.
27 July 2026 · 6 min read
NAPLAN
NAPLAN writing marking criteria explained: the ten criteria markers use
NAPLAN writing is marked against ten criteria, from audience to spelling. What each one rewards, how the score ranges differ, and how to practise against them.
27 July 2026 · 6 min read
GCSE
GCSE English: what the mark scheme means by 'perceptive' and 'developed'
Translating AQA/Edexcel band language.
24 July 2026 · 6 min read
For teachers
Giving whole-class feedback without writing the same comment 30 times
Patterns across a set, then targeted comments.
21 July 2026 · 6 min read
A-Level
A-Level essays: moving from AO1 to AO3 in your answer
Analysis and evaluation, not just knowledge.
20 July 2026 · 6 min read
Teachers
How to write an essay marking rubric (a teacher's step-by-step guide)
A practical guide to writing an essay marking rubric: choosing criteria, writing descriptors, allocating marks — with a worked example and where AI fits.
20 July 2026 · 7 min read
TOK
The IB Theory of Knowledge essay: how the global impression mark works
One holistic mark, five levels, clear signals.
19 July 2026 · 6 min read
HSC English
HSC Module C: how the discursive and imaginative are marked
Craft and control in the Craft of Writing.
18 July 2026 · 6 min read
Academic integrity
Acknowledging AI feedback in your assessment: a student's guide
How to disclose AI feedback the right way.
17 July 2026 · 6 min read
University
How university essays are marked against a rubric (and how to read yours)
Criteria and standards descriptors, demystified.
16 July 2026 · 6 min read
VCE
VCE: turning an examiner's report into a better SAC response
Mining VCAA examiner reports for marks.
15 July 2026 · 6 min read
IB
The IB Extended Essay's five assessment criteria, criterion by criterion
A full walkthrough of the EE criteria A-E.
14 July 2026 · 7 min read
For teachers
Marking a stack of trial essays: a teacher's rubric-first workflow
Turning trial marking from writing into reviewing.
13 July 2026 · 6 min read
Method
The draft → feedback → re-mark loop: why one round of feedback isn't enough
Good writing isn't marked into existence in one pass. Here's how the draft, feedback and re-mark loop actually raises a grade — and how to run it honestly.
13 July 2026 · 6 min read
HSC English
HSC Module A: marking a Textual Conversations comparative essay
Where comparison earns (and loses) marks.
12 July 2026 · 7 min read
QCE
QCE external assessment: how the ISMG marks your response
Decoding Queensland's ISMG marking grid.
11 July 2026 · 6 min read
IB
IB Internal Assessment: how the IA criteria are really applied
Criterion-by-criterion, where IA marks go.
10 July 2026 · 7 min read
VCE
VCE English SAC marking: how the performance descriptors actually work
Reading the VCAA descriptors like an assessor.
9 July 2026 · 7 min read
HSC English
Module B essay feedback: what HSC markers reward in a critical study
The verbs that separate a Band 6 Mod B response.
8 July 2026 · 7 min read
HSC
HSC trials: how to prepare when all you have is the marking criteria
Trials are weeks away; turn the criteria into a study plan.
7 July 2026 · 7 min read
Teachers
How to mark essays against a rubric — a teacher's guide (and where AI fits)
A step-by-step method for marking essays against a rubric consistently, criterion by criterion — and an honest look at where AI fits.
6 July 2026 · 6 min read
For teachers
How to mark a class of essays faster (without lowering the bar)
Marking a stack of essays is slow because the first read is slow. Turning marking into reviewing — a first pass against your rubric that you confirm — gets your evenings back without giving up your standard.
5 July 2026 · 5 min read
AP
AP essays and DBQs: how the College Board rubric scores you
AP free-response essays are scored on a short, points-based rubric — thesis, evidence, reasoning and sophistication. Here's where the points are, and where they're left on the table.
5 July 2026 · 5 min read
A-Level
A-Level essays: what the assessment objectives actually reward
A-Level essays are marked against a small set of assessment objectives, not an overall impression. Knowing which objective you're losing marks on is how you move up a level.
5 July 2026 · 5 min read
Languages
Can you get essay feedback in another language? Yes — here's how
Writing in Spanish, French, German, Portuguese or Italian? Your essay can be marked against your rubric with feedback in your own language. How it works, and why it's different from translation.
5 July 2026 · 4 min read
Law
How to answer a law problem question with IRAC
Problem questions aren't essays — they're a structured application of law to facts. The IRAC method, and where marks are actually won and lost.
5 July 2026 · 6 min read
TOEFL
How TOEFL Writing is scored: Integrated and Academic Discussion
The TOEFL iBT Writing section has two tasks, each scored 0–5 on a published rubric before scaling to 30. Here's what raters reward — and how to practise for it.
5 July 2026 · 5 min read
IELTS
IELTS Writing band descriptors, explained (and how to move up a band)
IELTS Writing is scored on four equally-weighted criteria. Knowing which one is holding your band down — and practising against the descriptors — is how you close the gap without re-sitting the whole test.
5 July 2026 · 6 min read
HSC
HSC marking criteria explained: how markers actually award marks
HSC responses aren't marked on gut feel — they're judged against marking guidelines, criterion by criterion. Understanding how that works changes how you write (and how you practise).
4 July 2026 · 6 min read
Academic integrity
Is AI essay feedback cheating? NESA, school policies and how to acknowledge AI use
Feedback on your own draft has never been cheating — but unapproved AI use in assessable work is malpractice. Where the line sits in NSW and beyond, and how to acknowledge AI feedback properly.
4 July 2026 · 6 min read
HSC
What does a Band 6 HSC English essay actually look like?
The difference between a Band 5 and a Band 6 essay isn't vocabulary — it's what the marking criteria reward. Here's what markers look for, and how to check your own draft against it.
4 July 2026 · 7 min read