AI Essay Grading for IB Teachers: What to Review Before Sharing Feedback
A teacher-first review checklist for using AI essay grading in IB writing without giving up professional judgment.
AI essay grading can save time, but IB teachers still need to own the final feedback. A good workflow treats AI as a drafting assistant, not a final examiner.
What IB's AI guidance means for teacher feedback
The IB's public guidance on AI in learning, teaching, and assessment frames AI as a tool to use critically and ethically rather than something to avoid altogether. For teacher feedback, that means the workflow should keep human judgment central: use AI to draft comments, then check bias, accuracy, assessment fit, and transparency before anything reaches students.
If students include AI-generated text or ideas in assessed work, follow your school's policy and the IB academic integrity guidance on transparent use and referencing.
Review checklist before sharing feedback
- Check task fit: Confirm the draft matches the selected TOK, EE, IA, or English Paper task.
- Review the rubric language: Make sure comments map to criteria students recognize.
- Test the score rationale: Ask whether the score is supported by evidence from the essay.
- Check bias and accuracy: Look for one-sided interpretations, unsupported assumptions, or advice that ignores the student's actual evidence.
- Edit tone: Replace generic comments with classroom-appropriate language.
- Add one human note: Include context the AI cannot know, such as prior progress or class focus.
What to avoid
- Sharing AI feedback without checking whether it selected the right assessment type.
- Letting long comments hide the two or three revisions students should prioritize.
- Using AI output as a final grade for high-stakes assessment without teacher review.
A practical IB teacher workflow
Use the AI draft to identify patterns, then make the judgment call yourself. If the AI says a student needs stronger analysis, ask where the essay proves that. If the evidence is thin, rewrite the comment. If the comment is fair, keep it and add a specific paragraph reference.
Next steps
Try this workflow in the IB Essay Grading Tool. Each new account gets one free grading so you can test the review process on a real draft.