FAQ for Parents

Is It Right for My Child?

What age is kidswriting.ai designed for?

kidswriting.ai is designed for Years 3–12 (ages 8–18). The AI adjusts its feedback language and expectations to match the year level you select:

• Years 3–4: Warm, simple feedback; lenient on mechanics, encouraging tone
• Years 5–6: Clear and constructive; higher expectations for structure
• Years 7–8: More direct; focus on argument, cohesion, and vocabulary
• Years 9–10: Analytical feedback; stronger vocabulary and expression expected
• Years 11–12: Rigorous, exam-quality feedback aligned to HSC/VCE standards

What exams can it help with?

kidswriting.ai covers the main Australian writing assessments:

• NAPLAN (Years 3, 5, 7, 9) — Narrative and Persuasive
• NSW Selective School writing test
• VIC Selective School writing test
• HSC English (NSW Year 12)
• VCE English (VIC Year 12)
• IELTS Academic Writing Task 2
• General Writing (any grade, any topic)

Can my child use it independently?

Yes — the platform is designed for students to use on their own. The feedback is written in plain, age-appropriate language. The AI Writing Tutor (Pro) can answer follow-up questions and explain feedback in more detail if your child is stuck.

My child is in primary school — is it too early?

Not at all. NAPLAN writing starts in Year 3, and building writing habits early makes a real difference by Year 7–9. The feedback for lower primary is deliberately gentle and encouraging — it focuses on what they did well and gives one or two simple things to try next time.

How It Works

What does my child actually do?

• Write an essay (by hand or on a device)
• Go to kidswriting.ai/marking
• Paste (or type) the essay and the writing prompt
• Select the exam type and year level
• Click Mark My Essay and get feedback in seconds

That's it. No teacher needed, no waiting days for feedback.

What kind of feedback does my child get?

After submitting an essay, your child sees:

• An overall score with a short summary
• A rubric breakdown — each criterion explained (e.g. "Your ideas were original, but needed more development")
• 2–3 strengths — specific things they did well
• 2–3 things to improve — written clearly, not just "write better"
• Sentence corrections — individual sentences flagged with the original, a corrected version, and why
• An improvement plan — 3 concrete steps to focus on for the next essay

Can I see what my child submitted?

Yes — if your child has an account, their essay history is saved in My Writing on their dashboard. You can review past essays and see their scores over time.

Does it write the essay for them?

No. kidswriting.ai only marks essays — it never writes or drafts content for students. The AI Tutor can help explain concepts and suggest techniques, but the writing always comes from the student.

Is It Safe?

Is the platform safe for children?

Yes. kidswriting.ai doesn't have public social features, chat rooms, or user-generated content visible to others. The AI Tutor is focused on writing education — it doesn't engage in off-topic conversations.

Is my child's data private?

Yes. Essays are processed to generate feedback and are not shared publicly. We don't sell data and don't use essay content to train external AI models. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

Does my child need to give personal information to sign up?

A free account requires an email address and a display name. No phone number, address, or date of birth is required.

Trying It Before You Commit

Can we try it before paying?

Yes — no credit card needed. You can try 4 essay marks without creating an account (completely anonymous). Creating a free account gives you 12 marks per month indefinitely.

This is enough to get a genuine feel for the quality of feedback before deciding whether to upgrade.

Is there a Pro free trial?

The free plan is effectively the trial. If you find the feedback useful and want unlimited marking plus the AI Tutor and Personalised Lessons, that's when Pro ($9.99/month) makes sense.

The Pro Plan for Families

What does Pro add for a student?

With Pro, your child gets:

• Unlimited essay marking — no monthly cap
• AI Writing Tutor — a chat-based tutor that knows their marking history and gives targeted practice
• Personalised Lessons — AI-generated exercises targeting their specific weak areas (e.g. vocabulary, sentence structure)
• Exemplar essays after every marking — a top-band example for the same prompt

How much does it cost?

• Monthly: $9.99/month (less than a single tutoring session)
• Annual: $59.99/year (~$5/month, saves ~50%)

A private tutor typically costs $80–$150/hour. kidswriting.ai gives your child unlimited writing practice and feedback for less than the cost of one session.

Can I cancel at any time?

Yes — cancel any time from the account settings. Your child keeps access until the end of the paid period, then reverts to the free plan. No lock-in, no penalty.

Getting the Best Results

How often should my child use it?

For exam preparation, once or twice a week is a good rhythm. Submit an essay, review the feedback together, focus on 1–2 things to improve, then write the next essay with those in mind.

Consistent practice with feedback is far more effective than cramming. Even 20 minutes a week adds up over a term.

Should I sit with my child when they use it?

For younger students (Years 3–5), it's a good idea — you can help them read the feedback and decide what to focus on. For older students, the platform is designed to be self-directed, but reviewing feedback together occasionally helps reinforce the habit of acting on it.

The feedback mentions criteria my child hasn't learned yet — is that normal?

Yes — for younger year levels, some criteria (like "cohesion" or "persuasive devices") may be new vocabulary. The feedback explains what each criterion means in plain language. You can also use the AI Tutor (Pro) to ask "what does cohesion mean?" and get a kid-friendly explanation.