Still typing QLA marks one cell at a time?
Say the marks. QLA Voice enters them in Excel (online marksheets coming soon), and moves to the next cell for you.
A real recording: marks read aloud go straight into an Excel row, cell by cell.
The problem
The marking's done. Now, for question-level analysis (QLA), every score has to go into the marksheet, and every one takes your eyes off the paper.
Across a full SATs assessment set, a class of 30 can mean nearly 5,000 individual marks to enter.
Paper. Screen. Paper. Screen. Again and again.
How the numbers add up, and other ways to speed up QLA data entry
How it works
This is QLA Voice in Excel: the task pane beside the worksheet, entering a row of marks.
Before you start
Accuracy
Assessment marks need care, so QLA Voice isn't general dictation. It accepts only what it's sure of, and tells you when it isn't.
It listens for
zero one two three four five six seven eight nine ten back stop
and nothing else. A second recogniser has to agree with every mark.
What it can't promise. The checks stop impossible marks, not misheard ones: a 1 heard as a 0 is still a valid mark. Recognition varies with voices, microphones and noise, so every entry is listed for you to check, and “back” undoes the last one.
Why it exists
After every round of assessments came the same job: a pile of papers, a QLA sheet, and hundreds of 1s and 0s to type in, one cell at a time.
QLA Voice was made to take that typing out. It's shaped by what teachers actually need from it: their own marksheets, nothing new to learn, and marks they can trust.
Where it works
We only list what's been used. Some online marksheets won't work, so try a practice entry first.
| Detail | Excel add-in | Online marksheets Chrome extension (coming soon) |
|---|---|---|
| Used on | Excel for Mac (Microsoft 365), Excel for Windows (Microsoft 365) | Google Chrome on macOS |
| Designed for | Excel with Office add-in support (Excel API 1.7 or later) | Marksheets made of ordinary mark boxes, in Chrome 116 or later |
| Not yet tested | Excel on the web | Named assessment websites, Windows, ChromeOS |
| Get it | Install the Excel add-in (your school's IT adds it, or download the add-in file) | Coming soon (waiting for Chrome Web Store approval) |
| Good to know | Opens from the Home tab. Cells with formulas are never overwritten. | Grid-style marksheets that need a double-click before typing may not work. |
Pricing
One payment, 12 months, no subscription. Excel included now, Chrome extension coming soon at no extra cost, for you or for up to 10 staff.
For teachers
£8.99for 12 months
One payment. 12 months of QLA Voice for one named teacher.
We email your licence key to your purchase email address, normally within 1 working day.
Need licences for more than 10 staff? Contact us
One-off payments for UK customers. The price shown is the total you pay: QLA Voice isn't VAT-registered, so no VAT is charged. Licences last 12 months and don't renew automatically.
Questions
More in the help guide.
Any whole number from zero to ten, plus “back” to undo the last mark and “stop” to stop listening. Half marks aren't supported.
Yes. That's what it was built for. Set the max mark to 1 and anything higher is refused.
Ordinary speech is ignored and nothing is entered. Numbers said in the second or so afterwards are ignored too, then it carries on listening. Very occasionally, a single word on its own that sounds like a number can go in. If you're interrupted for a while, press Stop.
If it hears a different valid mark (a 0 instead of a 1, say), that mark goes in. Every entry is listed so you can check, and saying “back” undoes the last one.
It works with Excel. Online marksheets (made of ordinary boxes you click and type a number into) will work with the Chrome extension, which is coming soon. It hasn't been tested on named assessment websites yet, and some grid-style marksheets won't work, so try a practice entry first.
On your computer, by an open-source speech model included in QLA Voice. Audio isn't recorded, saved or uploaded. The Excel add-in downloads its program files from the QLA Voice website when it starts. See the privacy policy.
A teacher licence is £8.99, paid once, for 12 months. That's the total you pay: QLA Voice isn't VAT-registered, so no VAT is charged. Licences don't renew automatically. For more than 10 staff, contact us.
Payment is handled by Stripe. Your licence key is emailed to you within 1 working day. Paste it into the Licence box in QLA Voice; the same key works in Excel and Chrome.
Yes. If you buy as an individual you have 14 days to change your mind. At checkout you choose whether we send your key straight away (you then can't cancel once it's been sent) or after 14 days (you can cancel until then). Separately, if QLA Voice doesn't work as described, you're entitled to a repair, replacement or refund under the Consumer Rights Act. See the terms, section 8.
QLA Voice is getting ready for launch.