# How to assign past papers as homework

> A five-step teacher workflow for assigning past papers as homework (a task): pick papers, set dates, choose students or a group, and read the progress report.

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Teacher guide

In Exam Science an assignment or homework is called a task. A task attaches papers to students or a group, sets the dates, and measures completion by marked questions.

## 1. Create the task

Open the task page and create a task with a clear title and optional description. Set a start date if students should not see it yet, and a due date if the work must finish by a specific day. The late-completion switch decides what happens after the due date.

A task needs at least one paper and at least one recipient. Without either, it cannot be created.

## 2. Choose the papers

Attach one or more official papers, or published custom papers you built — private or public. In the Create Task dialog, **Add from Paper Cart** and **Add from Bookmark** import papers you have already collected and remove duplicates.

Each paper's composition is anchored when the task is created, so editing a live custom paper later does not change what an in-progress task asks.

## 3. Assign students or a group

Choose individual students or a group; group members are expanded when the recipient limit is checked. The Free plan allows 5 open tasks and 10 recipients per task, Pro allows 50 and 50.

If a start date is set, assignees do not see the task until that date. Students open Start or Continue and choose a paper from the task.

## 4. Understand the progress rule

Progress is counted per paper as distinct questions with status *marked*. Only attempts started from the task entry carry the task id and count; a paper practised from the normal library does not complete the homework.

Retakes do not inflate progress because the same question counts once. This makes the percentage a measure of coverage, not of effort.

## 5. Read the dashboard and report

The task dashboard shows per-student and per-paper progress, so a teacher can see who has not started, who is partway through, and who has finished. The task report lists every marked question with its score; custom-mark questions include the scaling note.

Use the report to decide the next assignment: a weak topic can become a short custom paper, assigned to the same group.

## Questions teachers ask

**Is a task the same as homework or an assignment?**

Yes. In Exam Science a dated set of papers assigned to students is called a **task**. Assignment and homework describe the same object; there is no separate homework module.

**How is completion calculated?**

Only distinct questions marked inside the task count. Free practice, draft attempts and retakes outside the task entry do not change the percentage.

**Can I assign a private custom paper?**

Yes. A published custom paper is assignable whether private or public; only drafts cannot be assigned. A private paper stays in your own task picker, so only you can attach it.

**Do students need an account?**

Yes. Tasks are assigned to Exam Science accounts; students sign in and open the task from their task list.

**What happens after the due date?**

If late completion is allowed, students can continue; otherwise the paper rows are disabled and the task is marked overdue.

## Assign your first task

Create a task, attach official or custom papers, and assign it to a student or a group.

[Open task assignment](https://www.examsci.com/tasks)

## Related pages

- [Task assignment](https://www.examsci.com/for-teachers/task-assignment/)
- [Build a custom paper](https://www.examsci.com/guides/how-to-build-a-custom-paper/)
- [Worked example paper](https://www.examsci.com/for-teachers/example-custom-paper/)
- [Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/papers)

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