How to mark a whole class in one go
To mark a class in bulk, upload one file per student and use one answer key for all of them. In evaleasy the key is read once, so every paper is marked against the same reading, and once the files have uploaded you can leave the page while marking runs. The class gets one page with its stats, a plagiarism check and a CSV of marks with one column per question, and each student gets their own report.
Updated
Step by step
- Sort the papers by version. Everyone in one run should have sat the same paper.
- Prepare one file per student. Scan each student separately, or split a class scan with a PDF tool, then check the page counts.
- Write and check the key. Add up the marks, and check the numbers match the printed paper.
- Try two or three papers first. Read those reports before committing the whole class.
- Upload the class. Add the files, the question paper and the key once, choose the question type and a strictness setting, and keep the page open until the uploads finish.
- Review, then export. Check any odd results, plus flagged work if you turned flags on, then download the marks.
How do you get one file per student?
Scan each student separately, or scan the whole pile and split it yourself with a PDF tool before uploading. Each file counts as one student's paper in evaleasy, and it doesn't split files. The right route depends on how the work reached you.
| Scan separately | Scan, then split | |
|---|---|---|
| Best when | Students used extra sheets, or work came as photos, Word files or typed PDFs | A printed paper with a fixed page count, and a scanner with a feeder |
| What you do | Scan or export each student on their own | Scan the pile into one PDF, then extract each student's page range with a PDF tool |
| Main risk | One student's pages end up in two files | One missing page moves every later student's work |
| Student names | The file name can carry the name | Name each file as you split, or rely on the name written on the paper |
What happens if you upload a class scan as one file?
It counts as one student's paper. A 28-page PDF holding seven students would be read and marked as a single paper, and one over 30 pages is refused. So split the scan before you upload it.
Why does a missing page matter when you split a scan?
Splitting by a fixed page count only counts pages, so one missing page moves every later student's work. Suppose each student has 4 pages and the second page of student 2 failed to scan.
| Split paper | What it should hold | What it actually holds |
|---|---|---|
| Pages 1-4 | Student 1, all pages | Student 1, all pages |
| Pages 5-8 | Student 2, all pages | Student 2's pages 1, 3 and 4, plus student 3's page 1 |
| Pages 9-12 | Student 3, all pages | Student 3's pages 2, 3 and 4, plus student 4's page 1 |
| Pages 13-16 | Student 4, all pages | Student 4's pages 2, 3 and 4, plus student 5's page 1 |
How do you catch a wrong page count?
Count before you split, because a wrong page count produces marks that look believable. 30 students at 4 pages each should be 120 pages, so a 119-page scan has a page missing.
A count check can't catch everything. A missing page and an extra page elsewhere still add up to the right total, so compare a few names on the reports with the order of your pile.
How should you prepare and name the files?
Give each file a name you can match to your register, such as 9B-14-Aarav-Sharma.pdf instead of scan0047.pdf. evaleasy uses the name written on the paper first and falls back to the file's name.
- Ask students to write their full name clearly at the top of page 1
- Combine each student's phone photos into one PDF, because each file counts as one student
- Keep each paper to 30 pages and each uploaded file to 20 MB, with up to 1,000 papers in a batch
How do you use one answer key for the whole class?
Add the key once when you start the batch, and it applies to every paper in it. The same goes for the question type, the strictness setting and the question paper, which is a separate upload from the key, so the marker knows which questions to expect and which answers are right. evaleasy doesn't charge for answer keys or question papers up to 40 pages.
A mistake in a key repeats on every paper, which is why the trial papers are worth doing. Check that each question lines up with the right key entry.
Which papers should you review first?
Start with failed papers, then look for patterns, then spot-check the rest. If you turned flags on, start with flagged papers too: a flag means the marker was unsure, so the mark may well be right. The class's page shows the average, highest and lowest scores, how many papers failed and, with flags on, how many need review. Flagged papers carry a Needs review badge.
| What you see | What it usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| A failed paper | The file couldn't be marked, and evaleasy refunds it automatically | Rescan and upload again |
| A note that readings of an answer disagreed, listing what else it was read as | A mark on the page was ambiguous | Look at the page and decide |
| "Parts of the paper were hard to read" | A poor scan or very faint writing | Check the page, and rescan if the scan is the cause |
| Most of the class lost marks on one question | A wrong key line, a numbering mismatch, or a hard question | Check the key before blaming the class |
| A very low score from a strong student | A wrong file, shifted pages or a missing page | Compare the report with the paper. Redo reads and marks it again if the reading looks wrong |
| Two students listed under the plagiarism check | They share written passages or the same unusual wrong answers | Read both papers. It's a flag for you to check, and it doesn't change marks |
How do you get the marks into a spreadsheet?
Download the batch's CSV and open it in Excel or Google Sheets. It has one row per paper, with the columns Student, Status, Score (out of 100), Marks, Out of and Needs review, then one column per question.
- With flags on, filter Needs review to yes to get your checking list
- Match rows to your register with a lookup such as XLOOKUP, because rows may not follow register order and absent students won't appear
- Average each question column to see what the class found hard
- Keep corrections in your spreadsheet, because reports can't be edited
- With negative marking, a question's column can be negative, while a paper's total stops at zero
Common questions
- What if a few students used extra sheets?
- Put the extra sheets in that student's file. Each file is one student's paper, so page counts can differ, and each paper is charged for its own pages. If you split a stack by a fixed page count, take those papers out first and add them as their own files.
- Does evaleasy check whether students copied each other?
- It flags possible copying for you to check. Each bulk evaluation compares its papers with each other, looking for shared written passages and the same unusual wrong answers. It costs no credits, doesn't search the web, doesn't detect AI writing and doesn't change marks.
- What if the class sat two versions of the paper?
- Run each version as its own batch with its own key. If you mix them, Set B answers are marked against the Set A key, and because the question numbers match, nothing looks wrong at first glance.
- How much does it cost to mark a class?
- evaleasy charges 1 credit per page, so 30 students with 4 pages each use 120 credits. Packs are 100 credits for $5, 500 for $20 and 2,000 for $70, and credits don't expire.
- What if I run out of credits partway through?
- Papers that can't be paid for show "Not enough credits" and aren't marked, while the rest carry on. Keep that page open, buy more credits in another tab and choose "Try those again", and the remaining papers join the same batch without charging twice for those already uploaded.
- Can marks go straight into Canvas, Moodle or Google Classroom?
- Not directly, as evaleasy has no LMS integrations. You can import the CSV if your system accepts spreadsheets, or connect the two with evaleasy's REST API and signed webhooks.
- How long does evaleasy keep a class's papers?
- Files stay until you delete them, and nothing is deleted automatically by age. You can delete a single paper or a whole batch.
Your next stack of papers doesn't have to be your problem.
Signing up is free. Marking uses credits, at 1 credit per page.