Several tools mark IGCSE and A Level practice answers against mark schemes, including AI Buddy, Save My Exams Smart Mark, exam-mate’s AI Exam Marker, Grade Direct and Marking.ai. All are for practice and formative feedback. Cambridge, Pearson, JCQ and Ofqual all rule that AI cannot be the sole marker of work that counts towards a qualification.
Disclosure: AI Buddy is Tutopiya’s own platform. Every other tool’s details come from its own website, checked on 24 September 2026. All accuracy figures quoted are the vendors’ own tests; none has been independently audited.
What do the rules allow AI marking to do?
Mark practice, not assessed work. Cambridge’s 2026 Handbook says “teachers must not use artificial intelligence (AI) as the sole or primary means of marking candidates’ work”. Pearson says AI “should not be used as the sole method of marking”. JCQ goes further: “an AI tool cannot be the sole marker. A human assessor must review all the work in its entirety and determine the mark it warrants” (JCQ, April 2025).
England’s regulator, Ofqual, sets the direction of travel. In its Principles of AI use in marking (14 January 2026), it says “current evidence does not support an overall or general case for the validity of AI marking in high stakes qualifications”. It also says AI-generated marks are “likely to continue to develop and become more acceptable in contexts such as formative and low-stakes assessments”. That is where these tools belong.
How do the main AI marking tools compare?
| Tool | What it marks | Boards and levels listed | Who it’s for | Teacher review | Accuracy evidence (vendor’s own) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI Buddy | Past-paper-style questions across 26 subjects, with AI feedback | Cambridge IGCSE, Pearson Edexcel A Level | Schools: students practise, teachers see dashboards | Teachers see all attempts; grades that count stay with teachers | No published figure |
| Save My Exams Smart Mark | Written questions, typed or handwritten | IGCSE (Cambridge, Edexcel), GCSE, some A Level (AQA, Edexcel) | Students | None described | ”69% more accurate than ChatGPT” in internal tests; no sample size given |
| exam-mate AI Exam Marker | Structured, written and calculation answers, uploaded as PDFs with the official mark scheme | Site covers Cambridge and Edexcel; marker’s own coverage not stated | Students, teachers, tutors, schools; class reports | None described | No figure |
| Grade Direct | Handwritten or typed work, diagrams, equations, code | K-12 to university, including GCSE and IB | Teachers | ”Preview and edit feedback” | 85% of marks identical to the examiner, 96% within ±1 mark, on 640 questions including IGCSE Mathematics 0580 |
| Marking.ai | Typed and handwritten work, “criterion by criterion" | "GCSE and A-Level” | Teachers and departments | ”Nothing reaches a student until a teacher approves it” | Examiner-level agreement on 240 GCSE English and 240 GCSE Maths answers |
| Seneca (Premium AI) | Free-text exam answers | GCSE assessment formats | Schools, as an add-on | Not described | No figure |
Sources: Save My Exams Smart Mark, exam-mate AI Exam Marker, Grade Direct accuracy, Marking.ai, Seneca Premium AI, AI Buddy.
How should schools read vendor accuracy claims?
With the sample and the method in view. The strongest claims here come from small vendor-run tests. Grade Direct’s figures come from 640 questions, 561 of them from 13 students on Cambridge 0580. Save My Exams compares its tool with ChatGPT rather than with examiners on a published sample. None has been independently audited. Before relying on any tool, check its marks against your own teachers’ marks on your own students’ scripts, subject by subject. Our guide to evaluating AI tools includes this as point 11.
Which tool fits which use?
- Student self-practice with feedback: Save My Exams Smart Mark, Seneca, AI Buddy.
- Teachers marking a class set of scripts faster, with review: Marking.ai, Grade Direct, exam-mate’s marker.
- School-wide practice, marking and cohort data in one platform: AI Buddy.
- Handwritten STEM work: Grade Direct and Marking.ai both state handwriting support.
Cost varies. Marking.ai lists plans from £21 a month, Grade Direct offers credit packs and custom school quotes, and exam-mate’s marker is “free for limited time”. Save My Exams limits free users to a taster, and AI Buddy school plans are on request.
How should a department pilot AI marking?
Run a side-by-side test before changing any practice:
- Pick one subject and one paper that teachers already mark.
- Mark a class set both ways, AI and teacher, blind to each other.
- Compare exact agreement, agreement within a mark, and any systematic over- or under-marking.
- Check the feedback, not just the mark: is it specific and correct?
- Decide the role: practice only, first-pass marking with teacher review, or not at all.
Keep AI out of coursework and non-examined assessment marking except as the boards allow. See AI in IGCSE coursework.
How schools do this with AI Buddy
AI Buddy marks students’ practice answers to past-paper-style questions instantly, with AI feedback, across 26 IGCSE and A Level subjects. Teachers then use the cohort dashboards to see where marks are lost. It is built for practice and mock preparation, not for marking coursework or final assessments, which stay with teachers. Schools can run the side-by-side check above on AI Buddy’s marking before relying on it.
Frequently asked questions
Can AI mark IGCSE and A Level answers?
AI tools can mark practice answers against mark schemes and give feedback. They cannot be the sole marker of assessed work under Cambridge, Pearson, JCQ and Ofqual rules.
What is the best AI marker for A Level?
It depends on use. For teachers marking scripts with review, Marking.ai and Grade Direct state A Level or sixth-form coverage. For student practice, Save My Exams Smart Mark covers some A Level courses, and AI Buddy covers Pearson Edexcel A Level subjects.
Are AI grading tools for teachers accurate?
The published figures are vendors’ own and based on small samples. Schools should test any tool against their own teachers’ marking before relying on it.
Can AI exam marking software mark handwritten answers?
Some can. Save My Exams Smart Mark, Grade Direct and Marking.ai all state they accept handwritten work.
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Sources
- JCQ, AI Use in Assessments (revision two, 30 April 2025)
- Ofqual, Principles of AI use in marking (14 January 2026) and Approach to regulating AI in the qualifications sector (updated 16 July 2026)
- Cambridge International, Cambridge Handbook 2026; Pearson, AI guidance
- Vendor pages: Save My Exams Smart Mark and accuracy article; exam-mate; Grade Direct; Marking.ai and pricing; Seneca