Introducing Mark-It: The AI Grading Solution for New Zealand Secondary Schools
Mark-It is an innovative AI grading platform designed specifically for secondary school teachers in New Zealand. It provides a reliable grading solution that aligns with the NZQA assessment framework, addressing the unique challenges educators face when evaluating student work.
Mark-It – AI Grading Platform for NZ Secondary Schools
While many AI grading tools in schools originate from overseas and are often adapted superficially to fit New Zealand’s educational requirements, they typically fall short in terms of accuracy and reliability. Most do not adhere to NZQA’s specific grading methodology, leading to outcomes that educators cannot adequately defend or trust.
Mark-It was designed from the ground up to tackle these issues effectively.
How the Grading Process Works
Each submitted assignment undergoes five independent blind grading passes. Each grading pass evaluates the work without knowledge of what the others have determined, resulting in a consensus grade. If there is significant disagreement, a dedicated arbitration model steps in to resolve the difference.
Every grading model incorporates four NZQA-specific reference documents, ensuring that grading intelligence, marking protocols, and curriculum alignment are all addressed. The system employs a top-down holistic marking approach, similar to that used by NYQA markers, assessing the submission as a whole rather than through keyword matching.
The final output consists of the grade, a detailed written justification, and a Grade Defensibility Score presented as a 0-100% visual gauge. A high score indicates the system’s consistency and confidence, while a lower score serves as a caution for teachers to review the results closely before finalizing.
“Teachers must have confidence in every result,” explained Jagger Lissette, founder of Mark-It. “The defensibility score provides visibility into the AI’s level of assurance, guiding educators on when to rely on their professional judgment.”
Designed with Teacher Workflow in Mind
Mark-It features a Rubric Library that allows users to save and reload custom marking criteria, a Heads of Department (HOD) Dashboard for a comprehensive overview at the department level, and Moderation Pack PDF exports for NZQA moderation needs. Additionally, Google Classroom integration enables teachers to effortlessly sync courses and rosters without manual data entry.
Final confirmation of results is mandated in every workflow. The platform generates the analysis, but the teacher must validate the outcome, ensuring an essential check in the grading process.
The platform fully complies with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020, prioritizing user privacy by excluding any DeepSeek models from its AI stack.
Mark-It is currently available at markitgrader.com. The free plan offers up to 10 AI assessments per month, with Pro and school-wide options for higher volume needs.
Contact Information
For inquiries, please reach out to:
Jagger Lissette, Founder
Email: support@markitgrader.com
Website: markitgrader.com
Mark-It is a powerful AI-enabled grading platform developed for New Zealand’s secondary school educators and Heads of Department. It evaluates student submissions against NZQA criteria, offers written feedback, and generates a Grade Defensibility Score, empowering teachers to confidently support the grades they assign.
Founded by Jagger Lissette, a 15-year-old Year 11 student from Wellington, along with co-founder Bryn Essery, a 16-year-old Year 12 student acting as CFO and COO, Mark-It was created independently in under two months and launched on March 24, 2026. Both founders are active participants in the Young Enterprise Scheme.
Mark-It abides by the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020 and is readily accessible at markitgrader.com.
This release was published on openPR.
