How it works
Alva Courses scores Multiple Choice questions the moment a student submits a quiz. Short Answer and Long Answer questions wait for you: the attempt stays Under Review until every written answer in it has a grade, then passes or fails.
Review Responses is the queue of those written answers, one per course. It is not course evaluation: Review and grade coursework covers Evaluations, where you sign off a student's whole course submission, while Review Responses grades individual quiz answers.
Grade an answer
1. Open Review Responses
In Alva Courses, open Courses and select the course. Click Actions, then Review Responses (3). The number counts the answers waiting on that course.
2. Choose an answer on the Pending tab
The Pending tab lists waiting answers oldest first, under a banner such as "3 responses pending review". Each row shows Student, Lesson / Quiz, Question, Answer, Points (the question's maximum) and Submitted.
Click Grade on the row you want to mark.
3. Compare the answer with your model answer
The Grade Response window shows the full question, your Model Answer if you wrote one in the quiz editor, and the Student's Answer in full. Students never see your model answer.
4. Award points
Type a whole number in Points Awarded, from 0 up to the question's points, or click Full marks or Zero. Partial credit, such as 3 out of 5, is allowed.
5. Add feedback and save the grade
Write a note in Feedback to Student if you want to explain the mark; it is optional. Click Save Grade. The answer leaves the Pending tab and appears under Graded.
How the score is recalculated
Alva Courses settles an attempt when its last written answer is graded. The score is the points earned across every question divided by the points available, as a percentage, and the attempt passes when that reaches the quiz's Passing Score (%).
For example, take two Multiple Choice questions worth 1 point each and one Long Answer worth 3. A student who gets both multiple-choice questions right and earns 2 of 3 from you scores 4 of 5, or 80%, which passes at the default 70%.
A quiz with three written questions puts three rows in the queue; grade all three. If the course has Require all quizzes to be passed switched on (course Settings → Learning), a pass can complete the course for a student who has finished every lesson, and a fail can withdraw that completion.
Let students continue, or make them wait
By default, a quiz waiting for review does not hold the student up: Alva Courses treats an Under Review attempt as passed, even on a quiz marked Required to complete lesson.
To make students wait for your grade, tick Block lesson completion until freeform responses are reviewed in the quiz's Quiz Settings. It holds the lesson only when Required to complete lesson is also ticked; on a course with Require all quizzes to be passed, it also holds course completion.
Change a grade
The Graded tab in Review Responses lists answers you have graded, newest first, with Points, Feedback and the Graded date. Click Edit grade, make your change and click Save Grade. Alva Courses recalculates the attempt, so a regrade can turn a pass into a fail or back.
Two limits apply: the Graded tab is reached through Review Responses, which needs at least one pending answer to show, and once you pass a student's course evaluation their quiz answers on that course can't be regraded.
Shopify Flow: Course quiz graded
Alva Courses fires the Course quiz graded Shopify Flow trigger when your grade settles an attempt as passed or failed, with Manually reviewed set to true. Nothing fires while the attempt is Under Review, and a regrade fires again only if it changes the result. See Email me when a student fails a quiz.
What learners see
While an answer waits, the quiz in the course player shows Under Review and "Your answers are being reviewed by the instructor." Multiple-choice results appear as a line such as "Auto-graded: 2/2 multiple choice correct", and each written answer reads Awaiting review. The student cannot start another attempt until you grade it.
After grading, the quiz shows "Previously passed: 80%" or "Last attempt: 55% (Quiz Failed)". View results opens each question with the points awarded and your note under Instructor feedback. Grading sends no grade notification; they see the result next time they open the quiz. The exception: a grade that completes the course can send the certificate email, if you have switched it on.
Common questions
Which quiz questions need grading by hand?
Short Answer and Long Answer questions. Multiple Choice questions are scored automatically the moment the student submits, so they never appear in Review Responses.
Why can't I find Review Responses on my course?
Review Responses appears in the course's Actions menu only while at least one written answer on that course is waiting for a grade. When nothing is pending, the menu item is hidden.
Can I give partial credit?
Yes. Award any whole number of points from zero up to the question's value. Only full marks count the answer as correct in the student's results; a mark in between shows as partial credit.
What happens if a student leaves a written question blank?
It still appears on the Pending tab with an empty answer, so the attempt can be settled. Award it zero, or whatever it is worth, and save the grade.
See also
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Last updated 2026-10-09