Excelsoft and AQA Launch Joint AI Taskforce to Advance Ethical and Secure AI for E-Marking of Handwritten Student Responses

Mysore, December 05, 2025: Excelsoft Technologies (“Excelsoft”), a global leader in assessment and learning solutions, and AQA, one of the UK’s foremost exam boards, have announced the formation of a joint AI taskforce to research and develop ethical, transparent and secure AI approaches for e-marking handwritten student exam scripts. The organisations reaffirm that, for the foreseeable future, exam marking will remain a human-led process.

The partnership brings together AQA’s deep expertise in high-stakes assessment and Excelsoft’s advanced capabilities in AI, data and e-assessment. The taskforce will conduct collaborative R&D aimed at designing responsible AI models and workflows that enhance examiner support, improve consistency and strengthen the reliability of marking—while upholding the highest standards of fairness, accountability and data protection.

“Assessment is about trust – trust that every student’s work is judged fairly, consistently and securely,” said Sudhanva Dhananjaya, Chairman and Managing Director, Excelsoft. “By combining strengths with AQA, we are creating a focused AI taskforce that will explore how AI can responsibly support the marking of handwritten scripts, keeping ethics, human judgment and student privacy at the core.”

Key Areas of Research for the Joint AI Taskforce

• Developing human-in-the-loop AI models to assist examiners in marking handwritten responses

• Creating bias-aware methodologies to ensure AI-supported marking is fair to all student groups

• Designing secure data pipelines and infrastructure for managing handwritten scripts, annotations and marking data

• Establishing transparent reporting and explainability frameworks for clear oversight of AI’s role in the marking process

• Building ethical guidelines and governance structures tailored for high-stakes assessments

“We see AI as a powerful tool to support, not replace, our expert examiners,” said Justin Coombs, Chief Assessment Technology Officer, AQA. “Partnering with Excelsoft allows us to rigorously research and shape how AI can be used safely and responsibly in handwritten marking, ensuring confidence for students, teachers and regulators.”

The taskforce will include data scientists, psychometricians, AI engineers, assessment designers, examiners and ethicists from both organisations. Operating under a shared governance model aligned with regulatory and data protection standards, it will also engage with stakeholders—including educators, students and policymakers—throughout its research phases.

“Our goal is not just to build technology, but to build trustworthy AI practices for assessment,” said Adarsh Sudhindra, Vice President – Products & Innovation, Excelsoft. “This collaboration aims to establish benchmarks for accountable and explainable AI use in marking, always prioritising the learner.”

The outcomes of the joint research—insights, models and frameworks—will inform future product roadmaps, marking services and policy discussions. Findings may also be shared through white papers, industry forums and pilot initiatives, subject to appropriate governance approvals.

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