Study8 min read
GCSE and A level maths: check your working by hand with AI, line by line
The Draimo team
Short answer
In GCSE and A level maths, the working earns marks, not only the final answer, so the useful help is someone who checks your method. On a Draimo Ink page you write the solution by hand; ask for a Check and Draimo notes the line where it went wrong, without grading or solving it for you. Ask for a practice question like it, then try again. Writing uses no credits; each read uses 15.
Try it in Draimo
Try it on a question
- Draimo Ink
- A page you write and draw on; Draimo checks your working in the margin and draws diagrams and plots beside it.
- Writing uses no credits; each read uses 15
- ExamPredictor
- Ranks likely exam topics from up to ten past papers and mark schemes, with quotes from your files.
- Draimo Lite and above in the UK
- Files
- Attach a PDF, Word file, slides or a photo and ask about it.
- One file per message on every plan; several at once on paid plans
Why checking the working beats checking the answer
Maths exams in the UK award marks for method. A correct final answer with no working can score less than a wrong one with sound working, and a slip in line two can cost every mark after it. So the help that improves your grade is not an answer key; it is someone who reads your working and points at where it went wrong.
That is what Check does. It reads your handwriting, follows your method and notes the line that slipped, in the margin, in Draimo's own indigo, never red. It does not rewrite your solution.
How to use it
Use a stylus, a finger or a mouse. On an iPad with an Apple Pencil, rest your hand on the screen as you would on paper; a resting palm is ignored once the pen is down.
- Open draimo.com/ink on a tablet, phone or laptop, and write the question at the top of the page.
- Solve it by hand, with every step, as you would in the exam.
- Ask for a Check. Draimo notes the line where your working went wrong, if it did.
- Fix that line yourself and ask for another Check.
- Ask for a practice question like it, solve that one, and check it too.
Check, Mark and practice
Choose how much help you want each time.
| Ask for | What happens |
|---|---|
| Check | Notes beside your working, pointing to the line where it went wrong, with no grade |
| Mark | Ticks and crosses beside each line, like a teacher marking |
| A question | Ask about any line in the margin: "why does the sign change here?" |
| Practice | A new question like the last one, written on your page |
| A graph or diagram | A plot of a function, or a labelled diagram, drawn beside your work |
Graphs, geometry and mechanics
Ask for a sketch of y = x² - 5x + 6 and Draimo draws it beside your working, so you can see the roots you just found. Ask for a labelled force diagram for a particle on a slope in A level mechanics, or a triangle with the angles you are using in a trigonometry question. Maths in Draimo's notes is typeset properly, so fractions, powers and roots read cleanly next to your handwriting.
Revise from your own past papers
Combine Ink with ExamPredictor: give it up to ten past papers and mark schemes, and it ranks the topics most likely to come up, with quotes from your files. Then practise the top topics on an Ink page, checking each solution as you go.
Use it to learn, not to skip
Check is built to point at your mistake, not to hand over a finished solution, because finding and fixing the slip yourself is what builds the skill the exam measures. Use it for practice and revision, and follow your school's rules on AI for anything that is assessed. The guide on studying with AI without cheating explains how to keep it honest.
What it costs
Writing and drawing on Ink use no credits, and pages save on your device without an account. Each time Draimo reads a page, to check, mark, draw or answer, it uses 15 credits, and reads need an account. Draimo Lite is £7.99 a month in the UK.
Questions people ask
- Can AI check my handwritten maths?
- Yes. Write your solution on a Draimo Ink page and ask for a Check. Draimo reads your handwriting and notes the line where the working went wrong, without grading it.
- Will it just give me the answer?
- No. Check points to the line that slipped so you can fix it yourself. You can ask for a practice question like it to try again.
- Does it work for A level maths?
- Yes, including algebra, calculus, trigonometry and mechanics. It can also draw graphs and labelled force diagrams beside your working.
- Can I use it on an iPad?
- Yes, in the browser, with an Apple Pencil, any stylus or a finger. A resting palm is ignored once the pen is down.
- Is it allowed for homework?
- Use it for practice and revision. For anything that is assessed, follow your school's rules on AI.
- What does it cost?
- Writing and drawing use no credits. Each read uses 15 credits. Draimo Lite is £7.99 a month in the UK.
Write the first line of a question, then ask Draimo to check it.
Open Draimo Ink
