WISCA for teachers

Last updated 29 October 2026

  1. Setting a paper
  2. Printing a copy for each student
  3. Marking from scans
  4. What the results say
  5. The optional assistant
  6. Common questions

Setting a paper

Choose the class, subject and chapters, say how big the paper should be, and WISCA lays it out in the board's pattern. You choose how many questions, the difficulty (mixed, easier or harder) and the kind of question. The paper shows its total marks and an estimated time before you approve it.

You read every question the way it will print and can swap the ones you do not like. A teacher can also write a question; it is checked and approved before a paper can use it. Science, Maths and Computing questions can carry figures such as diagrams, graphs and circuits. Each question has a checked answer key, and WISCA can print a marking scheme to mark from.

Printing a copy for each student

Print on A4 pages. Each student gets their own copy, with a signed page code in the corner so scans can be matched later, and the options are shuffled copy by copy. The heading carries the school's name and logo. A student who needs it can have a large-print copy with extra space; the questions and marks do not change.

Marking from scans

Photograph the pile with a phone, or use the office scanner. WISCA finds each page by its code, so the pile can be in any order. It reads the answer circles and suggests a mark for each clear reading. You accept the clear ones in one go, and a circle it could not tell is yours. A page that cannot be read is set aside for you instead of being guessed.

Written answers are marked in a grid with one row for each student and a column for each question. If the school has switched on handwriting reading, WISCA can suggest a reading, which you confirm. You can also fill in the grid by hand without scanning anything and still get the results page.

What the results say

A results page has one sentence for each chapter and a short list of who might need help. For example: most of the class lost marks on one chapter, and six students may need help. WISCA drafts a short practice paper for those students. You read it, change it if you want, and give it.

The optional assistant

The assistant stays off until the school's administrator switches it on. You type one sentence, like a test for 7-A on chapters 3 and 4. It makes the paper and runs the checks, then stops and asks, because anything a student or a parent will see is your call. It is given your sentence and counts, and is never sent a student's name, answer, mark or identifier.

Common questions

Can I mark from a phone photo?

Yes. Photograph the pile with your phone, or use the office scanner. WISCA finds each page by its code, so the pile can be in any order.

Does WISCA decide the marks?

No. WISCA does the adding and suggests a mark for each clear reading, and a teacher confirms. Nothing reaches a student or a parent until the teacher shares it.

Can I change a paper after I approve it?

No. Approving lets you give the paper to a class, students and their parents are told, and an approved paper cannot be changed, so make your changes before you approve.

Do students need a device to take a paper?

No. Papers are printed and answered on paper. A teacher can also turn on answering on screen for a paper.