Split a scanned class stack into one paper per student

Updated 19 September 2026

Scan the whole class as a single PDF and the worksheet grader asks one question before it reads anything: how many pages does each student’s paper have? Answer 1, 2, 3 or 4 and the stack is cut into consecutive groups of that size, each group graded as one paper. The only thing you have to get right is the order: pages are grouped by position, so each student’s pages must sit together in the scan. If the numbers do not divide evenly you are told, because a short last paper usually means a page failed to feed. One upload holds up to 60 pages on the main grade screen, which is a class of thirty at two pages each, and every page counts as one graded item however the pages are grouped.

Grading the stack

1
Scan the stack in order, each student’s pages together
One PDF for the whole class. The split works on position, so page order is the one thing that has to be right: keep each student’s pages together, in sequence.
2
Choose the file on the grade screen
On the main grade screen choose Worksheet or test, then pick the PDF. A panel appears before anything is read.
3
Answer how many pages each student’s paper has
The panel reads Grading a class set? and asks how many pages each student’s paper has. Pick 1, 2, 3 or 4.
4
It splits into consecutive groups and grades them together
The stack is cut into consecutive groups of that size and each group is graded as one paper, so working that runs over a page break is still read as one piece and the name is taken from whichever page carries it.
5
Check the warning if the numbers did not divide evenly
If the last paper comes out short you are told: Heads up: the page count didn’t split evenly, so the last paper has only N pages. Check that no page is missing from the scan. That is usually a page that failed to feed.

What a split group keeps that separate uploads lose

Work that runs over a page break: A group is graded as one paper, so a problem started on page one and finished on page two is read as one problem rather than two half-answers.
One gradebook cell: The whole paper is one row with one score, not a score per page.
One name: The name is taken from whichever page in the group carries it, usually the first.

What this will not do

Every student’s paper has to be the same length. The split is a fixed group size. A stack where some students wrote an extra page cannot be cut correctly by it, so pull those out and upload them separately.

A single paper is still capped at 8 pages. The split sizes on offer stop at 4 for that reason. A worksheet longer than 8 pages is beyond one graded unit, and the screen says so: a worksheet can have up to 8 pages, grade this one and then start another.

The two screens have different ceilings, and different behaviour. Main grade screen: asks the question, up to 60 pages. The grader inside an assignment: one student per page, no question, up to 30. Use the main screen for multi-page papers.

It does not read a name to decide where a paper ends. Grouping is by position only. The name is read after the split, to file the paper under a student, and it cannot rescue a stack that was scanned out of order.

A batch can stop early if the grader is busy. Papers that were not reached say so rather than appearing as failures: Not graded: the batch stopped before reaching this paper. Upload it again. Nothing is charged for a paper that was never sent.

Common questions

How do I grade a whole class from one scan?

Scan the class as a single PDF with each student’s pages together, choose it on the grade screen, and answer the question it asks: how many pages does each student’s paper have. It cuts the stack into consecutive groups of that size and grades each group as one paper. A class of thirty two-page papers is one upload.

What if students have different numbers of pages?

The split is a fixed size, so a mixed stack cannot be cut correctly by it. Either separate the odd ones out and upload them on their own, or photograph each student’s paper separately. The uneven warning at the end catches the common version of this, which is a page that did not feed.

How many pages can one upload hold?

Sixty on the main grade screen, which covers a class of thirty at two pages each. Past that you are told: this PDF has N pages, so we graded the first 60. The grader on an assignment page has a lower ceiling of thirty pages.

Does a stack of photos work the same way?

Yes. Selecting more than eight images at once, with nothing already waiting, is treated as a class set rather than one very long paper, and you get the same question. Below that it is treated as one student’s paper.

What does a class set cost?

One graded item per page, however the pages are grouped. Thirty one-page worksheets is thirty items, and fifteen two-page papers is also thirty. A free account includes 20 graded items.

Does the PDF behave differently inside an assignment?

Yes, and this one catches people out. On an assignment page a PDF is graded as one student per page, with no question asked, and it stops at thirty pages. If your students’ papers run more than one page each, use the main grade screen for the stack and tag the papers to the assignment afterwards.

Do I have to sit and watch it?

No. Once pages are submitted the grading runs on our side and finished papers wait in Review. The one thing to avoid is closing the tab with pages you captured but never submitted, and the browser warns you before that happens.