Mastery — how it works
Mastery tracks how confident each student is on every sub-topic, shown as a simple Red / Amber / Green grid. Here's the plain-English version — and if you'd rather not use it, you can hide it.
The one rule that keeps it safe
Nothing changes a student's mastery grid on its own. A teacher is always in control. AI marking and student self-ratings only ever create a suggestion — the grid changes when the teacher approves it (or sets a colour themselves).
Coverage vs mastery — not the same thing
Coverage = “I have taught this topic”. Mastery = “the student can actually do it” (R/A/G). Ticking a topic as taught never colours a student's grid — the two are kept separate on purpose.
How teachers update mastery
- Approve suggestions in the Marking Inbox. AI-marked uploads and student self-ratings land here as pending. Review the working and hit Approve (or adjust the colour first) — only then does the grid move. It's linked from your Teacher Dashboard.
- Set a colour directly. On a student's mastery grid, click a cell to set Red, Amber or Green. A teacher's decision writes straight away.
How students update mastery
Everything a student does is a request that goes to their teacher — it never colours the grid by itself:
- Do some practice — homework, daily questions or skills practice; the AI marks it and suggests a colour.
- Upload a photo of written work — the AI reads it and suggests a colour.
- Self-rate confidence on the syllabus checklist — a gentle signal to the teacher.
The teacher confirms it, and the student watches their grid turn greener over time.
Don't want to use mastery? Hide it.
Mastery is optional. On your Teacher Dashboard use the “Hide mastery” toggle at the top of the heatmap to tuck it away. Everything else keeps working — weekly homework, AI marking, mark book, games and reports are all unaffected. Flip it back any time.
New here? Start with this
You don't need to understand everything on day one. The minimum loop is: set weekly homework → students submit → you approve the AI's marking. Mastery grids and heatmaps are optional extras that build up over time.
Quick questions
Do I have to use mastery / RAG at all?
No. Weekly homework, AI marking, the mark book, games and reports all work without touching mastery. Use the Hide toggle on your dashboard.
How do I set homework?
Use the A-Level weekly homework generator — pick this week's sub-topics, add your class, preview, publish. Each student gets 50% recap + 50% new content.
How do students submit and how does marking work?
Students tick tasks off and upload a photo of their working where asked. The AI marks it and proposes a R/A/G that waits for you in the Marking Inbox. Nothing is final until you approve it.
Are the questions copied from Save My Exams / PMT / past papers?
No. They're original, AI-generated questions written to match the Edexcel style and difficulty, deliberately different from past papers and third-party sites so they're copyright-safe.
Can I run a fun lesson without any tracking?
Yes — use Classroom Activities or a live game from your dashboard. No mastery needed to play.
Why is a student's grid empty?
No approved evidence yet. Once they practise or upload work and you approve it (or set a colour yourself), cells fill in.
A student did work but their grid didn't change — why?
It's waiting for you in the Marking Inbox — approve the pending suggestion.
If I set a colour, can the AI overwrite it later?
No. A teacher's set colour is authoritative — new AI suggestions still queue for you to decide on.