Question-level analysis (QLA) records every student’s mark on every question of a mock, then totals it by question, topic and skill. After IGCSE and A Level mocks, heads of department use it to find what the cohort got wrong and who needs which intervention. A QLA template needs student rows, question columns, and each question’s topic, marks and assessment objective.
What is question-level analysis?
It is the mock result broken down into its smallest parts. A grade says how a student did. QLA says where the marks were lost: on which question, which topic, and which kind of task. Summed across a class, it shows teaching gaps. Summed for one student, it shows what that student needs. Cambridge’s Principal Examiner Reports describe “candidates’ overall performance on each part of the question”, and QLA gives a department the same view of its own students.
What should a question level analysis template include?
A usable template has four parts. Everything else is optional.
| Part | What it holds | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Question map (header rows) | Question number, maximum marks, syllabus topic, assessment objective or skill, command word | Lets marks be totalled by topic and skill, not just by question |
| Student rows | One row per student: class, tier, and marks for each question | Shows individual gaps and allows grouping |
| Summary columns | Total, grade using the series’ boundaries, marks by topic | Links question data to grades and targets |
| Summary rows | Average percentage per question, per class and for the cohort | Shows which questions the whole cohort found hard |
Two design choices make the difference. First, map every question to a topic from the syllabus before marking, using the syllabus’s own topic numbers. Second, record marks, not ticks. A student who scores 1 out of 4 on a question is in a different position from one who scores 0.
How do heads of department use QLA after mocks?
Read it at three levels, in this order.
- Cohort: questions where the cohort averaged below about half marks point to a teaching gap. Re-teach those topics to the whole year group.
- Class: questions where one class is far below the others point to a teaching difference. Share practice between teachers.
- Student: individual rows show who belongs in which post-mock intervention group. That might be boundary students, topic-gap students, or students losing marks on technique.
For IGCSE, QLA also informs Core or Extended entry. A borderline student losing marks mainly on Supplement-only questions is a riskier Extended entry than one losing marks on technique.
Where can schools get question-level data from real exams?
Both boards provide post-results services that support QLA on live papers, not just mocks.
| Service | Board | What it gives | Access and timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access to Scripts | Cambridge | Downloads of candidates’ marked scripts, for scripts marked on screen | Free; for November 2026, the last download date is 12 March 2027 |
| Principal Examiner Reports for Teachers | Cambridge | Performance “on each part of the question” and “common mistakes” | School Support Hub |
| Results Analysis | Cambridge | Performance “in each area of the syllabus” for selected IGCSEs, including 0580, 0610, 0620 and 0625 | Direct; exams officers only |
| ResultsPlus | Pearson | ”Actual scores for each exam question for a student, class or group”, compared with Pearson averages | Included in qualification fees; via Edexcel Online |
| ResultsPlus Direct | Pearson | A “question-by-question breakdown” for students, including International GCSE and International A Level | Free for students |
Sources: Cambridge Access to Scripts, Cambridge Results Analysis, Cambridge examiner reports, Pearson ResultsPlus, ResultsPlus Direct.
Cambridge sets conditions on scripts. They may be used for teaching “only where the permission to download the script(s) has been given by the student and/or the script(s) are anonymised at the point of use”, and must not be shared online. The download window “will close two weeks after the deadline for making an enquiry about results”.
Should schools use QLA software or a spreadsheet?
A spreadsheet works for one department and one mock; software is worth it when QLA becomes routine. The bottleneck is data entry. Typing every mark for every question for a whole year group takes hours, which is why QLA often happens once a year instead of after every assessment. Software that captures marks as students answer removes that step. Whatever the tool, the template structure above stays the same.
How schools do this with AI Buddy
AI Buddy produces QLA without data entry. When students sit a mock or practice paper on AI Buddy, every answer is marked instantly and stored by question and topic. The learning-gap analysis then shows cohort, class and student views, the same three levels described above. Heads of department can move straight from “which topics did we lose marks on?” to assigning targeted practice.
Frequently asked questions
What is question-level analysis software?
Software that records marks for every question and summarises them by topic, class and student. It replaces the manual data entry of a QLA spreadsheet.
What goes in a question-level analysis proforma?
A question map (question number, marks, topic, skill), one row of marks per student, and summary totals by question, topic and class.
How do you use QLA for IGCSE mocks?
Find the questions the whole cohort found hard and re-teach them, compare classes, then group students for intervention by where they lost marks.
Can schools get question-level data from Cambridge and Pearson?
Yes. Cambridge offers free Access to Scripts and Principal Examiner Reports. Pearson’s ResultsPlus gives question-level scores, and ResultsPlus Direct gives students a question-by-question breakdown.
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Sources
- Cambridge International, Access to Scripts and Key dates for November 2026 series
- Cambridge International, Results Analysis
- Cambridge International, Support for teachers: results
- Cambridge International, Guidance and services after results release
- Pearson, ResultsPlus and ResultsPlus Direct