An AI checker for teachers who don't want to accuse anyone
You already know the uncomfortable truth: detectors get it wrong, students get hurt, and a bare percentage can't be discussed — only believed or disputed. ScanForAI is built for the conversation instead: every score comes with the specific writing patterns behind it, in plain English, free.
Why a breakdown beats a percentage
When a submission scores high, ScanForAI shows why: sentences with unusually even rhythm, stock AI phrasing, structure that follows the default machine template, wording that's statistically too predictable. That gives you discussion points — "walk me through how you wrote this paragraph" — instead of a courtroom number. Students who wrote their work honestly can usually explain it; that conversation is more informative than any score.
What to be careful about (we mean it)
- Non-native English writers score higher on every detector. Independent research has shown other tools flagging non-native writing at alarming rates. We test against non-native writing specifically and relax formality signals by register — but the risk never fully disappears, ours included. Weight it accordingly.
- Formal writing looks "AI-ish" by nature. Tell the scanner it's an essay (the "Text type" selector) so it doesn't punish a student for writing formally.
- Never grade or discipline on a score alone. Our interpreting guide is written to be shareable with colleagues and students.
A workflow that holds up
- Scan the submission (free, up to 20,000 characters — more with a free account). Set the text type.
- Read the signals, not just the score. Look at the sentence heat-map.
- If it reads AI: have the conversation, with the specific passages as prompts. Ask about drafts, sources, process.
- Keep a free account to save scans — history and revision comparison document the process if questions come later.
Why free?
ScanForAI is free while in beta — the whole scanner, accounts, history, and the Cleanup tool. Our engine runs on our own hardware (no per-scan AI-API costs), which is also why anonymous scans are never stored: your students' text isn't our data.
Per-line evidence you can put in front of a student — a conversation starter, not a verdict.
Scan a submission free →Detection in the classroom.
How reliable are AI detectors for grading decisions?
Not reliable enough to act on alone — ours included, and we say so on every result. Independent testing shows all detectors miss edited AI and flag some honest writing. Treat a score like a smoke alarm: a reason to look closely, never the verdict itself.
What should I do before accusing a student of using AI?
Gather evidence beyond one score: run a second detector, compare against the student's earlier writing, look at draft history if your LMS keeps it, and talk to them about the content — someone who wrote an essay can discuss it. Our per-line marks give that conversation something concrete to point at.
Why do non-native English students get flagged more often?
Learned formal English is careful, even and template-shaped — exactly the surface habits of machine text. Every detector shows this bias; we document it openly and mark the specific lines so you can judge whether they read 'machine' or just 'careful'.
Can students trick AI detectors?
Paraphrasing tools lower scores without making text human — a decent detector still reads elevated, and the writing gets worse, which your own eyes catch. The honest arms-race answer: detection plus judgment beats detection alone, which is why we give you reasons, not just numbers.
Is ScanForAI free for teachers?
Yes — the scanner is free anonymously, and a free account adds batch scanning (a whole class set at once), history, PDF reports and the full pattern breakdown. No card, no trial clock.