To mark HSC-style extended responses with JeddAI, load the student answer, give JeddAI your NESA-aligned marking guidelines or rubric as band-style mark ranges, then review the draft mark and feedback it returns. JeddAI applies your criteria holistically across the response; you stay in control of the final judgement.
What does band-style marking mean for HSC extended responses?
In HSC marking, band-style criteria describe bands of quality rather than a checklist of separate points. NESA publishes marking guidelines for each extended-response question, and these guidelines set out mark ranges — a top range, one or more middle ranges and a lower range — each paired with a holistic description of what a response at that level demonstrates. A marker reads the whole answer, decides which description fits best, then settles on a specific mark inside that range.
The descriptors usually move through a graded vocabulary: a top-range answer might be described as skilful or sophisticated, the next as effective, then sound, and the lowest as limited or elementary. Because the judgement is holistic, one strong feature does not automatically lift a script, and one weak paragraph does not sink it. You weigh the response as a whole against the guideline that best captures its overall quality.
It helps to separate two related ideas. Question-level marking guidelines place each extended response in a mark range while you mark. Course results are later reported in performance bands that describe what students across the state typically know and can do. Both use band-style language, but the marking guidelines are what you apply to an individual script.
How do you set up your marking guidelines in JeddAI before you start?
Set up before you mark by giving JeddAI the same criteria you would use yourself. JeddAI drafts marking and feedback aligned to your own rubric, success criteria and comment banks, so the quality of its output depends on how clearly you express your mark ranges. Translate each NESA descriptor into plain criteria: what a response must show to sit in the top range, in the middle ranges, and in the lower ranges.
Be concrete about the evidence you expect — a clear thesis, integrated textual references, sustained analysis and control of language for an English essay, or accurate content, causation and evaluation for a History extended response. The more specific your descriptors, the more consistently JeddAI can apply them across a whole class set, and the less editing you do afterwards.
- Enter your mark ranges and the holistic descriptor for each, in your own words.
- Name the evidence a response needs to reach each range (thesis, textual references, analysis, structure).
- Add a comment bank of phrases you already use so feedback sounds like you.
- Note any question-specific requirements, such as the number of prescribed texts.
- Set the maximum mark so JeddAI works within the right scale.
How does JeddAI apply those criteria to a long-form answer?
JeddAI reads the entire extended response and matches it against the descriptors you supplied, then proposes a mark range and draft comments anchored to specific moments in the text. Because it processes the whole answer at once, it can weigh a strong introduction against an uneven body the way holistic marking asks you to, rather than tallying isolated points across the page.
The draft it returns is a starting position, not a verdict. You see why it suggested a particular range, which lines it read as evidence, and where the response met or missed your criteria. That transparency matters most for long-form answers, where a single mark can hide a lot of reasoning you will want to check before it counts.
For quotations and textual references, JeddAI can flag where a student has used evidence and where a claim sits unsupported, which is often the difference between mark ranges in an English essay. You decide whether the evidence is apt and well integrated; JeddAI just makes the pattern across a long answer easier to see at a glance.
How do you review and adjust JeddAI's draft mark?
Review every draft against the script before it counts. Read the response yourself, compare it with the range JeddAI proposed, and move the mark where your professional judgement differs. You remain the marker; JeddAI simply gives you a considered first pass and consistent feedback to edit, rather than a blank page at the end of a long marking run.
This is also where alignment and moderation happen. If you are marking as a faculty, a shared set of criteria in JeddAI helps different teachers apply the same standard, which is exactly what moderation expects. Spot-check a spread of scripts, adjust your descriptors if the drafts drift high or low, and re-run a batch once your criteria are tuned.
- Read the script and confirm the proposed range matches your overall impression.
- Edit or replace comments so they are specific to this student.
- Adjust the mark within the range using your own judgement.
- Check borderline scripts against a benchmark response.
- Update your criteria if several drafts sit slightly high or low.
Should you mark HSC extended responses holistically or with an analytic rubric?
HSC marking guidelines are holistic, so your final mark should reflect the response as a whole against a mark range. An analytic rubric that scores separate traits can still be useful for feedback, because it shows students exactly where they gained or lost ground. Many teachers combine both: mark holistically for the grade, then comment analytically so the advice is genuinely actionable.
JeddAI can work either way, because it applies whatever criteria you give it. If you provide mark-range descriptors, it proposes a holistic range; if you provide trait-by-trait success criteria, it comments against each. The table below sets out the trade-offs so you can choose the approach that matches your faculty’s practice.
Whichever you choose, keep the mark and the feedback consistent with each other. A holistic range tells a student where they landed; analytic comments tell them why and what to practise next. Used together, they turn a single HSC-style mark into advice a student can act on before the next assessment task.
How can JeddAI save time while keeping you in control of HSC marking?
JeddAI saves time on the slow part of extended-response marking — producing consistent, criterion-referenced feedback across a full class — while leaving every judgement with you. You upload or connect the student work, JeddAI drafts a mark range and comments against your criteria, and you review, adjust and finalise. The result reads like your marking because it is built from your own rubric and comment bank.
That consistency is hard to sustain by hand at 2am on the twentieth script, which is where a tool earns its place. If you would like to try it on your own HSC criteria, you can Get started with JeddAI and mark a sample set before committing a whole class.
| Aspect | Holistic mark-range (band-style) | Analytic rubric |
|---|---|---|
| What it produces | One overall mark from a range | Sub-scores per trait |
| Match to NESA guidelines | Direct — mirrors HSC marking guidelines | Indirect — a feedback aid |
| Main strength | Reflects the whole response | Pinpoints specific gains and gaps |
| Best used for | Deciding the grade | Explaining the grade to students |
Frequently asked questions
Does JeddAI replace the HSC marker?
No. JeddAI drafts a mark and feedback against your criteria, but you make the final decision. It is a marking assistant, not the marker of record.
Can JeddAI mark subjects other than English?
Yes. Because it applies whatever criteria you supply, it can support extended responses in History, Legal Studies, Business Studies and other courses that use mark-range guidelines.
Do I need NESA's official marking guidelines to use JeddAI?
You can use the published guidelines, your school's rubric, or your own descriptors. JeddAI applies the criteria you give it, so use whichever version reflects how you actually mark.
Will the feedback sound generic?
It reflects your comment bank and criteria, so it reads in your voice. Editing a few drafts early helps it stay specific to each student.
How does this help with faculty moderation?
Sharing one set of criteria in JeddAI means teachers apply the same standard, making it easier to align marks across a class or cohort.
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