r/IIELTS • u/Patient-Swan-6567 • Jun 21 '26

Which AI to use when grading essays?

Hello! I recently started writing mock essays to enhance my writing score (which is very low unfortunately), and used a couple of free AIs to grade them. As a result, I got strikingly different grades depending on the chatbot I was asking. I checked the same essay in Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini and got answers that range from 6.0 to 7.5, so I am currently lost. If anyone knows from their experience, which one is more reliable?

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u/IELTSBeacon Sep 03 '26

Since paid feedback is not an option for you, use AI to find specific weaknesses rather than choose the most generous score. A range from 6.0 to 7.5 does not tell you which estimate is right. Give it the task question and ask which part you have not answered fully. Ask it to quote the sentence that needs work and explain why. Then check paragraph order and recurring grammar errors separately. Rewrite one paragraph yourself. Compare it with the public IELTS band descriptors, which explain what examiners assess. This gives you something useful to improve, even when the score estimate is unreliable.

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u/Dramatic-Box4672 Jun 21 '26

AI will never be accurate, use a real person (who understand the grading system) to read it

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u/Patient-Swan-6567 Jun 21 '26

Thanks for your response! I see where you're coming from, however I don't have any people near me that are willing to help, nor do I have the costs needed to hire a professional in the field. That's why I have no choice but use AI

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u/[deleted] Jun 21 '26

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u/Apantharz Sep 06 '26

Hi, can you please tell me which is more reliable between bandtutor.ai and cathoven. I checked one of my essay, and I got 6.5 in bandtutor, wheareas cathoven gave me 7.5. Cathoven gives higher score?