How essay questions are graded

Essay questions are not automatically scored when you submit your test or quiz. Your instructor needs to review and grade the essays by hand. A test or quiz with ungraded essays appears on your Results page with an ! (exclamation point) in the Score column. Click the exclamation point to view a message about your score to date. For example, the message could say: "This test contains essay questions that have not yet been graded by your instructor. Your current test score is: 30/45 or 67%"

When your instructor grades your essays, the number of points you receive for each essay is added to your current score for the test or quiz. For example, you take a test with one essay worth 10 points. Your score before the essay is graded is 30/45. Your instructor gives you 8 points on the essay, so your final test score is 38/45.

If your instructor awards you at least 70% credit on an essay question, the essay counts toward your Study Plan mastery. So, if you answer all questions for a given section or objective correctly, including receiving at least 70% credit on a related essay question, you have mastered that section or objective.

If you review your test or quiz before your instructor has graded the essays, the test summary shows the number of correct and incorrect responses to questions that are automatically scored. Each essay is marked as "Not graded: 0 out of N points," where N is the point value assigned to the essay. Click Show Sample Answer in the test player to view an example of a correct answer to the essay question.