How CoreMark Coach works, one session at a time

CoreMark makes CoreMark Coach. This page describes how it works, including where it falls short.

What does CoreMark Coach say when my child types hi?

The first reply is a short introduction. Coach says it can be called CoreMark Coach or just Coach, then explains the two ways to start: say "learn" with a topic to be taught step by step, or say "exam" with a topic to get a practice paper. It adds that your child can ask it to explain anything at any time, even in the middle of a practice paper, and that it will try to pick up where you left off between sessions.

It then asks what your child would like to be called while they study. Coach uses a first name or nickname only, and the chat stays inside your own Claude account. Everything before this moment, the account, the Project and two settings, is in the setup guide. From here on, your child just talks.

How does Learn mode teach one idea at a time?

Learn mode works as a dialogue. Coach opens with a short map of the topic's sub-concepts, then teaches one of them. Each teaching turn is kept to a few lines, so your child spends more time answering than reading.

For each sub-concept, the loop runs in the same order:

1. A diagram first, where the idea can be drawn.
2. An everyday example from the child's world, such as football, a phone or the cost of food.
3. The rule, written in exam wording.
4. The misconception most students hold, taught on purpose so the child learns to spot it.
5. A "teach it back to me" turn, in the child's own words.
6. One quick question to apply the idea, then how to write the answer the way examiners want, with working shown.

A topic ends with a three question mini-check that carries no marks. Coach then suggests an exam on the topic, usually in a later session. A 2013 review of study techniques by Dunlosky and colleagues rated spaced practice, which means spreading practice over time, as high utility for learning. The review also says the evidence varies by learner, material and task.

What does a teach-back turn look like in practice?

Teach-back is the point where Coach stops explaining and asks your child to explain. It does not accept a memorised definition. If the explanation is vague, Coach teaches the idea again with a different example.

This excerpt comes from a Science demo session on the greenhouse effect. The Coach question comes first, then the child's answer, with the mistakes left in.

The answer gets the effects of climate change right but names the wrong gas. Coach's reply in the demo points out that burning fossil fuels releases CO₂, not oxygen. It then separates the natural greenhouse effect, which keeps Earth warm enough for life, from the enhanced one, where extra CO₂ from human activity traps too much heat. It finishes with a key sentence for the exam, so the child has something to check their own wording against.

What changes when my child types exam?

Exam mode switches the session to a practice paper in one of three sizes: a quick topic test, a longer practice paper or a full Checkpoint-style mock. Coach states a time target at the start, and you keep the time with your own timer. It offers an optional brush-up cheatsheet before the first question.

Then it asks one question at a time, under a header such as Question 12 [3 marks]. Between questions it only confirms the answer is logged. Every question worth two or more marks asks for working. There is no skip button: a question can be flagged to come back to, but it still has to be attempted. A mock paper gives no hints.

This excerpt is from the start of a Science demo paper. The student's answers are left as typed.

Marking has not happened at this point. Coach marks only after all the questions are submitted, so the answers above are logged but not yet marked. If your child says the paper is too hard, Coach is designed to shorten it or switch to teaching instead.

How does marking work, and what is the first wrong step?

When the whole paper is in, Coach marks it in one go. It shows a full worked solution for each question, then marks each answer using method marks (M) and accuracy marks (A), the same kinds of mark an examiner gives.

In plain words, a method mark is for using the right approach, and an accuracy mark is for getting the right result from it. For example, in an invented 3-mark question: one mark for choosing the right rule (method), one mark for setting the working out correctly (method), and one mark for the correct final answer (accuracy). A child who picks the right rule but makes an arithmetic slip still earns the method marks.

Two more rules matter. Follow-through marks are given when an earlier wrong answer is then used correctly. The first wrong step is the point in the working where the answer first goes off track, so the child can see the single error that changed everything after it. Before Coach marks an answer wrong, it works the question out on its own. If its own question was flawed, it voids that question, replaces it and says so.

For what to do with the report, see how to improve a Cambridge Checkpoint score.

Which mode should my child use on a given day?

Use Learn mode when a topic is new or shaky. Use Exam mode when your child can already explain the topic and needs to practise under test conditions. The table sets out the difference.

What comes back later, and why does it matter?

Coach tracks which topics are weak and brings them back for a quick review. The schedule is designed to revisit a shaky topic after about 2 days, a so-so one after about 5, a solid one after about 12, and a mastered one after about 30. A slip on review moves a topic back down the schedule.

This depends on Claude's memory. According to Anthropic's help centre (checked 20 October 2026), Memory is on by default for Free, Pro and Max plans, and it can be switched off. CoreMark cannot guarantee that every chat is remembered, so keep Memory on, and if Coach seems to have lost track, tell it where you left off in the Coach project.

Start a fresh chat for each session, since shorter chats are easier to look back through. Coach also gives XP, levels, topic stars and streaks. XP never goes down, and the rewards are for coming back and fixing mistakes rather than repeating easy topics.

What can go wrong with CoreMark Coach?

Several things, and a parent should know them before the first session. AI can make mistakes. Coach checks its questions, answers and diagrams before the child sees them, but no AI is perfect. If something looks off, ask Coach to show its working or compare it with the booster solutions.

• Coach needs internet access and a Claude account. It does not work offline.
• Diagrams need Code execution and file creation switched on. Where graphics are unavailable, Coach falls back to a text drawing for simple cases or picks a question that needs no diagram.
• It covers Stages 7, 8 and 9, and only Maths, Science and Computing.
• It runs only in Claude, not in ChatGPT, Gemini or other apps.

Coach is not the right choice for every family. If your child mostly needs a person who can notice how they are feeling, a human tutor may suit better, and AI tutor vs human tutor in India covers that. If you want a general study assistant that covers every subject, ChatGPT or an AI tutor compares the two honestly.

Frequently asked questions

CoreMark Coach is an independent product that runs in Claude, made by Anthropic. CoreMark is not affiliated with Anthropic or with Cambridge Assessment International Education. AI can make mistakes: check important answers, and supervise your child's use.