Mastery — how it works
Mastery shows how secure each Year 12 and Year 13 student is on every A Level sub-topic (9MA0 or IAL), as a simple Red / Amber / Green grid. Here is how it works for your A Level classes — 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). The one exception is Skill Builders: a marked set updates the sub-topics it practised, and it can raise a teacher's colour but never lower it.
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.
You confirm it, and the student's A Level grid turns greener as the course goes on.
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
Start small with your A Level classes: set the weekly homework → students submit → you approve the AI's marking. The mastery grids and heatmaps fill in from the work you approve, so you can look at them later.
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, PDF or Word file of their working where asked. The AI marks it straight away and the student sees the mark, labelled as an AI mark. The mark and a proposed R/A/G wait for you in the Marking Inbox; the grid only changes when 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?
Nothing has been approved for that student yet. Their cells fill in once you approve practice or uploaded work, or set a colour yourself.
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. Only a Skill Builder can change it, and only upwards.
Do Skill Builders change mastery?
Yes, straight away. A marked Skill Builder sets the colour of each sub-topic it practised: Red under 50%, Amber 50–74%, Green 75% and over. It can raise a colour a teacher set, but never lowers it.
What do Not started, Practised, Familiar and Mastered mean on My progress?
My progress shows your course as a map, one tile per sub-topic. Practised means under 50%, Familiar 50–74% and Mastered 75% and over (the same scale as Red, Amber and Green). Tap a tile for a 5-question mastery check, marked as you answer: 4 or 5 right makes it Mastered. A unit test (10 questions) moves each sub-topic it asks about up one level when you get it right; a wrong answer on a Mastered sub-topic takes it back to Familiar. Checks never lower a colour your teacher set. Level up next picks the weakest sub-topic your class covered recently, then your weakest topic or one due for review.
What does the placement check do to mastery?
It gives each sub-topic a starting colour from one question each. Sub-topics ticked "I haven't learnt this yet" stay blank. Any later Skill Builder replaces these starting colours.