How the TRACK Level Gauge Works
A plain-language explainer for teachers and parents · Content pack v2026.3
Most school tests give one number: you got 14 out of 20. That number mixes two different things together — how hard the questions were and how well the child answered them. A child who scores 60% on Grade 2 work may be flying; a child who scores 60% on Grade 6 work may be struggling. A percentage alone can't tell you which.
TRACK does it differently. Instead of asking "how many did you get right?", it asks "what is the hardest level at which this child can consistently succeed?" — and it finds that level by adapting: moving the child up when they're cruising and down when they're lost, until it settles on the truth. The result is a grade level (1–11) with an accuracy figure — something a percentage can never give you.
The assessment, step by step
A fair starting point
You enter the child's age and TRACK starts them at the grade typically appropriate for that age (age 8 → Grade 3, for example). An older child who is behind still begins at their age level — the assessment walks them down gently if needed.
Three correct in a row → move up
Answer three questions correctly at the current grade and TRACK offers slightly harder material from the next grade up. Consistent success earns bigger challenges — strong pupils are never left doing work that's too easy for them.
Three wrong in a row → move down
Struggling at a level? TRACK steps the child down one grade, where the questions rebuild confidence and show the teacher where the foundation cracked. Pupils experience this as the quiz "getting easier" — not as failure.
The gauge settles on a level
After enough movement at a boundary, TRACK announces the level estimate — usually within 10–20 questions. The child sees a gauge like a speedometer, and can keep going to strengthen the estimate or stop and read the report.
How the estimate is earned — three signals
TRACK never announces a level on a hunch. It waits for one of three patterns, and shows you its progress toward each on screen:
| Signal | What it means | What it tells a teacher |
|---|---|---|
| Failed passes ↑ | Three attempts to move up a grade have not succeeded | The child has hit their ceiling — this is their working level |
| Failed drops ↓ | Three attempts to break down from a lower grade have failed | The child is secure here — fundamentals below this level are solid |
| Unclear streaks | Three streaks of mixed results at the boundary | The child is truly borderline — useful for placement decisions |
Any one signal produces an estimate; two or more make it stronger. The report shows which signal fired, so the judgement is transparent — not a black box.
Reading the report
- The headline: "You are at Grade 4 level in Maths, with 72% accuracy at that level." The accuracy figure matters: Grade 4 at 90% is a secure Grade 4 pupil ready to be stretched; Grade 4 at 55% is a pupil who recently dropped from Grade 5 and needs consolidation.
- Performance by level: a bar for every grade the child touched, so a teacher can see the whole climb — e.g. strong at Grade 2–3, shaky at Grade 4, stopped at Grade 5.
- Weak-strand diagnosis: the specific topics (fractions, comprehension, living things…) where accuracy fell below 70%, ranked with the weakest first, each with a practical suggestion.
- Print & PDF: one tap produces a clean A4 report card for school records or parents' evening. Reports can also be downloaded as plain text.
Two ways to run a session
| 🎯 Level gauge | ⏱️ Mock exam | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Adaptive — hunts for the exact level | Fixed grade, 20 questions, 15 seconds each |
| Best for | Placement, term-start baselines, parent reports | Exam-temperament practice and quick snapshots of a known group |
| Feedback | Immediate — correct answers and tips between questions | None until the end (like a real exam) |