Partial Match
Short Answer, Free Response and Fill In The Blank questions allow you to select Partial Match. If you type key words into your answer key, student responses that include those key words will be graded as correct.
Open a desired formative and add a one of the question types above
Enter the keyword(s) you want your students to use as answer keys
Select "Allow partial match":
Note that student responses need to include the key word(s) in one answer key field exactly (the same word order, spelling, spacing, and punctuation) in order to be graded as correct. For example, for the question above:
A student who writes "The great barrier reef" will be graded as correct (words added before / after the answer key phrase do not count).
A student who writes "Great Barrier Reef" will be graded as correct (capitalization does not count unless the "Case sensitive" toggle is enabled).
A student who writes "barrier reef" will be graded as incorrect because they did not include the word "great."
If your question requires a complex response, then adding responses to the answer key as you grade or batch grading may be a better grading solution.
NEW! Equivalencies
Numeric questions offer a smarter way to check answers and count equivalencies to the answer key as correct via auto-grading.
We know students show what they know in different ways. That’s why we’re excited to introduce the Allow Equivalencies toggle — a flexible way to define what counts as “correct” when grading short answer or math questions.
This toggle gives you two smart options for evaluating answers, so you can match how your students think, write, or solve:
Option 1: Basic Partial Match
Great for units & basic numeric equivalencies. Best For: Science, real-world math problems, and anywhere different unit syntax is common.
Enter your expected answer (e.g.,
25 m/s)Turn on Allow Equivalencies
Choose Basic Partial Match
Formative will now accept alternative responses of basic numeric equivalencies and equivalent units, i.e. accepting different "Unit Syntax" (comparable units) as correct.
Basic Partial Match will compare the unit entered into your answer key with the unit entered by your student. If the two are equivalent, the student's answer will be marked as correct.
In order to be recognized by the unit system, an answer must be either
A number followed by a unit, or
A currency symbol followed by a number
A unit is either a single word like "meters" or "kg", or a combination of such words, like "m/s", "ft lbs", or even "meters per second squared".
Examples:
Question: What is the speed of an object moving 100 meters in 4 seconds?
Expected Answer: 25 m/s
Marked Correct:
25 meters per second25 meters/second25(if unit omission is acceptable)
Marked Incorrect:
25 s/m(incorrect unit order)25 mph(incorrect unit system)
Option 2: Algebraic Equivalence
Perfect for Simplified Math Expressions & Equivalent Forms. Use this when you want Formative to check if a student’s answer is mathematically equivalent, even if it’s expressed differently. Best For: Algebra, fraction/decimal conversions, and any math questions where form may vary but meaning is the same.
Enter your simplified answer (e.g.,
x + 2)Turn on Allow Equivalencies
Choose Algebraic Equivalence
Formative will evaluate answers using algebraic logic — allowing reordering, equivalent expressions, fractions = decimals, and more.
Algebraic Example:
Question: Simplify the expression: (2x + 4)/2
Expected Answer: x + 2
Marked Correct:
2 + x(commutative property)(4 + 2x)/2(not simplified, but equivalent)
Marked Incorrect:
(2x + 4)/2(not simplified)x + 2 cm(units not allowed in Algebraic mode)
Fraction & Decimal Equivalence Example:
Question: How much is 1➗2 as a decimal?
Expected Answer: 0.5
Marked Correct:
1/2(equivalent fraction)0.50(equivalent decimal)
Marked Incorrect:
2/4(not simplified unless you accept it)1 out of 2(not mathematically equivalent format)
Partial Credit
Some question types in Formative allow you to select Partial Credit. This will give your students partial credit if they get some of the answers right. There are two types of Partial Credit -
Automatic Partial Credit
When selecting Partial Credit on the list of questions below, the auto-grader within Formative will automatically award your students with partial credit calculated following a specific formula. You have the option to choose if you'd like to subtract points for incorrect answers, or not. If you choose to subtract points for incorrect answers, the point value for any incorrect answer selected will be deducted from the point value of the correct answers selected (i.e. the student will be penalized for selecting incorrect answers in the mix). If you choose not to subtract points for incorrect answers only the correct answers selected will be taken into account for the score, and any incorrect answers selected will be ignored.
Click each question type below to find out how we grade Partial Credit for each of them:
Advanced Scoring (Teacher Choice)
When selecting Partial Credit on the following list of questions you will be given the option to award different point values for each answer choice. This way you could award your students with points for answers that are on the right track! This grading is designed to support your students' learning journey by encouraging and allowing more accurate feedback.
On these questions types, after toggling on Partial Credit, head back to your entered answer key to fill out the point value you'd like to award to each one of the answer choices.
Tip: Use the Preview function to view and interact with your formatives from a student perspective! This is very helpful to test things out and get a feel for features before assigning to your students. The Preview button (eye icon) can be found in the upper right corner of the page.