Graide

Awarding organisation NCFE and AI-powered assessment platform Graide have announced the launch of an exciting new collaboration to explore how artificial intelligence can enhance marking, feedback, and learner preparation. The partnership will run two structured innovation pilots to evaluate the impact of Graide’s automated marking capabilities on both NCFE learners and colleagues.

The pilots form part of NCFE’s commitment to “promote and enhance learning”, enabling learners and educators to benefit from emerging technology in a safe, controlled, and research-driven environment. The programme will evaluate AI’s role in formative practice, marking support, and workflow enhancement.

A two-track pilot exploring learner impact and colleague support

Pilot 1: AI-assisted learner practice and feedback

The first track focuses on giving NCFE learners access to AI-powered practice assessments to support their preparation for summative assessments. Using Graide’s automated marking and instant feedback capabilities, the pilot aims to help learners better understand expectations, build confidence, and improve outcomes. Teachers will also benefit from a reduction in marking workload and delivery of formative assessment insights that can shape their delivery.

Pilot 2: AI support for moderators and examiners

Running in parallel, the second pilot track will explore how AI can support NCFE colleagues — including moderators and examiners - by providing AI-generated marking and feedback for comparison against original scores. The focus is on building trust in the technology and identifying suitable use cases where AI can add value for NCFE experts.

“At Graide, our mission has always been to make assessment more efficient, consistent, and transparent. Partnering with Inspera enables us to extend that mission by embedding academic integrity directly into our platform. Together, we’re offering educators a complete, seamless solution that ensures quality and trust at every stage of the assessment journey.”

Manjinder Kainth

CEO of Graide

“At NCFE, we explore emerging technologies not because they are new, but because they can help learners reach their full potential. This pilot will allow us to test AI-assisted marking in a safe, controlled way, building our understanding of how it can support both learners and colleagues. Working with Graide gives us a partner that shares our commitment to responsible innovation, and we’re looking forward to learning from this programme together.”

Dr. Gray Mytton

Innovation Manager (AI and Technology) at NCFE

About Graide

Graide empowers educators, awarding bodies, and training providers to streamline their assessment processes. Using explainable AI and human-in-the-loop design, Graide automates repetitive marking tasks, delivers consistent and high-quality feedback, and provides rich insights to improve learner outcomes. The platform integrates with popular learning management systems via LTI, making it easy to embed within existing ecosystems.

About NCFE

NCFE is a leading educational charity and awarding organisation with a mission to “promote and advance learning.” Working with a wide range of institutions, employers, and training providers, NCFE develops qualifications and services that support learners of all ages to achieve their potential.

For more information visit www.graide.co.uk or contact Jon Allen, Commercial Director at Graide on jon.allen@graide.co.uk

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