Download the teacher review records
Three free files: a blank CSV register, a blank TXT review sheet and a complete TXT file with fictional examples and explanations. These are editable working records, not a designed PDF or a student quiz handout. No account required.
- CSVBlank teacher question-review register485 bytes
- TXTBlank single-best-answer review sheet2 KB
- TXTThree complete fictional question reviews and repairs5 KB
Use a blank record for your own work. Keep examples separate from your evidence and follow the instructions below.
On this page
Start with a single-best-answer task
This multiple-choice question checklist is for teachers reviewing an item before publishing it, including an AI-generated draft. It asks for one defensible best answer under a stated criterion. Multi-select tasks have different instructions and scoring rules; do not silently apply a single-response key to them.
Choose the learning objective before the question format. Carnegie Mellon distinguishes recognizing a sound argument from articulating one yourself. A correct selection can be useful evidence for the former without showing the latter. UIC advises verifying generated material before sharing it with students. The checks here are an editorial review process, not a psychometric validation procedure.
Review the question before choosing a release decision
Cover the options and read the stem first. Identify the task and any conditions needed to answer it. Then solve it against the source or calculation and inspect each alternative. Waterloo emphasizes a complete stem, one best answer and plausible, non-overlapping alternatives.
An option may be a true statement elsewhere yet be wrong for this particular question. Write the reason rather than relying on a marked letter. If two options remain defensible, repair the item instead of expecting the word best to resolve it. Avoid unrelated filler and accidental grammar or length clues.
| Check | What to record |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Name the knowledge or action this item should elicit. Use another response format or add an explanation when selecting an option cannot reveal the performance you need. |
| Stem | State the problem, source context, conditions and units clearly enough to understand the task before reading options. |
| Key | Write the answer rationale with a recoverable source passage or calculation. Keep unresolved support visible. |
| Distractors | Explain why every other option is wrong for this stem. Prefer plausible error paths over unrelated filler. |
| Uniqueness | Look for two defensible keys, overlapping ranges, equivalent units or alternatives that imply each other. |
| Clues | Check grammar, repeated wording and conspicuous differences in option length. Remove avoidable negative phrasing. |
| Delivery | Inspect the learner copy, response type, marked key and scoring conditions after moving the item into a platform. |
| Decision | Record revise, hold or ready for the instructor’s release decision, with the version actually checked. |
Your question review record
Keep one record per question version. Fill the fields below and download a TXT copy, or use the blank files further down. Retain the original draft alongside any repair and leave independent review blank until it actually happens.
Notes stay in this tab and are not saved automatically. Download your own copy before leaving. This record does not approve a question or certify its validity.
Identify the exact draft you are checking.
What should the learner demonstrate by answering?
Record the permitted source and the passage, page or calculation behind the item.
Keep the original wording and label each option so the rationale is recoverable.
Explain why this answer follows from the source or calculation.
Check every alternative against this particular stem.
Include equivalent options, unsupported claims and unresolved evidence.
Keep the proposed repair separate from the original question.
Leave blank until a review actually occurs; record what was checked and by whom.
Identify the learner copy actually inspected and any remaining action.
Choose your next step. Ready still requires the instructor’s release decision.
Read the complete fictional sources before checking the drafts
Original fictional practice material. S1 and S2, the draft questions, proposed keys and repairs below were constructed for this resource. They are not a real campus notice, captured AI output, student responses or a classroom test.
S1 — The campus library offers evening workshops, online guides and bookable appointments. All three are free for enrolled students. This notice reports no attendance figures or learning outcomes.
S2 — A workshop consists of two parts lasting 20 minutes each, with one 10-minute break between them.
For each draft, inspect the proposed key and decide what you would change before opening the editorial review. The local labels S1 and S2 make the exercise recoverable; they are not publications to cite as research. The university sources support the general method, not these invented campus facts.
Example 1: a draft with two defensible answers
Learning objective — Identify the stated fee policy for the listed library services.
Source — S1: The campus library offers evening workshops, online guides and bookable appointments. All three are free for enrolled students. This notice reports no attendance figures or learning outcomes.
Draft question — Which support is free for enrolled students?
Proposed draft key — A. Treat this as a candidate to inspect, not an endorsed answer.
| Option | Draft answer |
|---|---|
| A | Evening workshops. |
| B | Bookable appointments. |
| C | Paid external coaching. |
| D | Private commercial tutoring. |
Inspect a possible repair after making your own decision
Revise before use. A and B are both supported by S1, so the draft key cannot make this a single-best-answer item. Adding the instruction choose the best answer would not resolve the missing distinction.
Repaired question — According to S1, what is the fee policy for the three listed services?
A — All three are free for enrolled students.
B — Only workshops are free for enrolled students.
C — Only guides are free for enrolled students.
D — Each service has a fee for enrolled students.
Repaired key — A. This is a constructed repair for inspection, not an item tested with learners.
Check the rationale for every repaired option
A preserves the bounded policy for the three services and the enrolled-student condition.
B narrows the free offer to workshops, contradicting the stated coverage of all three.
C narrows the free offer to guides, contradicting the same coverage.
D adds a fee that the notice explicitly rules out for enrolled students.
Example 2: a key that the source cannot establish
Learning objective — Distinguish information supplied by a notice from information it leaves unreported.
Source — S1: The campus library offers evening workshops, online guides and bookable appointments. All three are free for enrolled students. This notice reports no attendance figures or learning outcomes.
Draft question — What percentage of enrolled students attended the workshops?
Proposed draft key — B. Treat this as a candidate to inspect, not an endorsed answer.
| Option | Draft answer |
|---|---|
| A | 20%. |
| B | 40%. |
| C | 60%. |
| D | 80%. |
Inspect a possible repair after making your own decision
Hold the unsupported claim; replace the item. S1 gives neither attendance counts nor a participation rate. No listed percentage can be justified. A plausible-looking number is not a recoverable answer; changing which percentage is marked would leave the same problem.
Repaired question — Which information is missing from S1?
A — The available support formats.
B — The cost for enrolled students.
C — The number of workshop attendees.
D — The option to book an appointment.
Repaired key — C. This is a constructed repair for inspection, not an item tested with learners.
Check the rationale for every repaired option
A is supplied by the list of workshops, guides and appointments.
B is supplied by the free-access statement for enrolled students.
C is absent: the notice expressly reports no attendance figures.
D is supplied by the phrase bookable appointments.
Example 3: two options express the same duration
Learning objective — Calculate total elapsed duration, including the stated break.
Source — S2: A workshop consists of two parts lasting 20 minutes each, with one 10-minute break between them.
Draft question — How long is the entire workshop in S2, including the break?
Proposed draft key — B. Treat this as a candidate to inspect, not an endorsed answer.
| Option | Draft answer |
|---|---|
| A | 40 minutes. |
| B | 50 minutes. |
| C | 60 minutes. |
| D | 5/6 hour. |
Inspect a possible repair after making your own decision
Revise the option set before use. The total is 20 + 10 + 20 = 50 minutes. B and D are equivalent because (5/6) × 60 = 50. The draft therefore has two correct choices despite a single marked key.
Repaired question — How long is the entire workshop in S2, including the break?
A — 20 minutes.
B — 40 minutes.
C — 50 minutes.
D — 60 minutes.
Repaired key — C. This is a constructed repair for inspection, not an item tested with learners.
Check the rationale for every repaired option
A counts only one of the two workshop parts.
B counts both parts but leaves out the break.
C includes two 20-minute parts and the single 10-minute break: 50 minutes.
D would add a second 10-minute break that S2 does not specify. These are possible error paths for reviewing the distractors, not observed learner diagnoses.
Keep the draft, the repair and the checked version separate
Use the blank record to retain the original item, your proposed revision and any unresolved point. Ask a colleague or teaching assistant to attempt the question and explain their reasoning when that review is available. Record what actually happened; an intended review is not a completed independent check.
Hold an item when the source cannot establish its key. After a repair, decide whether it still assesses the intended objective and inspect the learner copy. The register offers revise, hold or ready for the instructor’s release decision; it does not approve the item automatically or predict its difficulty. A wording repair may be necessary without being sufficient for formal assessment use.
Supporting reading: [2]
Recheck the student copy after importing or assigning
Moving a checked draft into a quiz platform is a separate handoff. Inspect the displayed wording, media, response type, marked answer and scoring settings on the learner’s device. Retain a version label so a later correction can be distinguished from the earlier attempt.
Kahoot! and Wayground profiles explain their documented creation, delivery and report conditions. Follow the appropriate route for replacing a question or issued activity; changing one draft does not establish that every distributed copy was updated. If the learning objective requires an explanation, plan how to collect it rather than treating a selected letter as the whole response.
Use responses to plan a follow-up, not to certify the item
Carnegie Mellon describes low-stakes concept questions followed by individual responses, discussion and another vote. That sequence can give the teacher reasoning to inspect. Keep an initial attempt separate from an answer after discussion; they occurred under different conditions.
For these examples, a follow-up could ask learners to explain why 50 minutes and 5/6 hour are equivalent or to identify what data a participation-rate question would need. Use a fresh context when checking application. A completed checklist, repaired item or higher later score alone does not establish item validity or a learning gain.
- Use the separate learner worksheet when editing a flashcard before practice
- Record the passage behind a disputed source claim
Supporting reading: [5]
Questions about this topic
Does this checklist apply to all multiple-choice formats?
It focuses on single-best-answer items. Multi-select questions need explicit selection instructions and their own scoring rules. Keep the intended response and platform setting consistent.
Can I keep two correct options by asking for the best answer?
Only when the stem supplies a meaningful criterion that makes one option clearly best. The word best alone does not repair two equally defensible answers; revise the stem or options.
Can I use this to review AI-generated questions?
Yes, when that use is permitted. Check the source, every option and the answer rationale yourself. The fictional examples are original teaching material, not outputs captured from an AI service.
Does completing the register validate my quiz?
No. It records an editorial review and unresolved issues. It does not establish psychometric validity, reliability, difficulty, fairness across groups or learning outcomes.
Sources and editorial notes
The supporting reading below informs our editorial guidance. Exercises and scenarios illustrate a method; they do not report a completed product test or measured learning outcome. Read our editorial policy or send a correction with a supporting source to info@ai-essay.com.
- Waterloo Centre for Teaching Excellence: stems, keys, distractors and non-overlapping options
- Carnegie Mellon Eberly Center: objectives, question format and colleague review
- Michigan CRLT: aligning exams, instructions and item design
- UIC CATE: verify AI-generated output before sharing it with students
- Carnegie Mellon Eberly Center: concept questions and discussion of reasoning