A buyer's guide for schools

Seven questions to ask before choosing an AI teaching platform

There are more AI teaching tools on the market than ever, and comparison tables only get blurrier. Instead of comparing products feature by feature, start by asking what your school actually needs. These are the seven questions we suggest every school put to any vendor — including us.

Book a 30-minute demoAsk on WhatsApp
The seven questions

Does the platform cover multiple subjects, or just one function?

Why it matters

Single-function tools mean juggling multiple vendors, account systems and data agreements. Admin overhead multiplies with every subject, and learning data ends up scattered.

Essai's answer

One platform covers Chinese, English, Mathematics, Science, ICT and Humanities across learning, teaching, assessment and administration. One student account, one teacher console, one contract — with cross-subject data in a single dashboard.

How deep is the Chinese, English and Maths support?

Why it matters

Many AI tools are English-first, with Chinese added as a translated afterthought — and few are built around local assessments. Hong Kong schools need Traditional Chinese written-form marking, Cantonese oral assessment and content built for the local curriculum and exams.

Essai's answer

Chinese essay marking is designed for the Hong Kong curriculum, with dedicated drills for classical Chinese, rhetoric and punctuation, and Cantonese-first oral assessment. Chinese and English both come with TSA-, HKAT- and DSE-aligned question banks across listening, speaking, reading and writing, while Mathematics covers multiple-choice and long questions — all continuously tuned by our Hong Kong team.

Is marking accuracy backed by data?

Why it matters

Everyone claims "AI marking", but a high error rate simply shifts work back to teachers reviewing the output — and erodes their trust.

Essai's answer

Marking error is held under 5%, and the platform has marked over 200,000 essays. We encourage schools to bring real student work to a demo and test live — more reliable than any comparison table.

How is student data collected, used and deleted?

Why it matters

Educators and parents are increasingly focused on student data privacy. Verbal assurances are not enough — what matters is what is written into the contract.

Essai's answer

Essai commits contractually: student data is never used to train public models; schools can opt out of de-identified data use; and schools are notified within 72 hours of any data breach.

Does the platform align with Hong Kong's policy frameworks?

Why it matters

School AI planning needs to connect with the Digital Education Development Blueprint and the AI literacy learning framework for primary and secondary schools — and this directly shapes funding applications such as the IT Innovation Lab schemes.

Essai's answer

Essai's products map directly to the Blueprint's priorities and the AI literacy framework, and we provide supporting documents and proposal advice for funding applications. See our Blueprint implementation guide for details.

Blueprint implementation guide →

Is the team rooted in Hong Kong?

Why it matters

Curriculum updates, assessment requirements, school calendars, teacher workflows — these details decide whether a platform actually lands. Overseas products often localise little more than the interface.

Essai's answer

Essai is built by experienced Hong Kong educators alongside engineers from Google, ByteDance and Rednote, with every product decision made Hong Kong-curriculum-first. Essai first went into classroom use in Mainland Chinese schools two years ago, and over 100 Hong Kong schools have since tried the platform.

Is pricing transparent?

Why it matters

Hidden fees, usage-based pricing and annual renegotiation make budgeting impossible — and comparisons meaningless.

Essai's answer

Essai pricing is public: from HK$33,000 per subject per year, with a 15% discount on multi-year contracts, no setup fees and no per-use charges. The number on the quotation is the number your school pays.

By the numbers
100+
Hong Kong schools have tried ESSAi
200,000+
essays marked
72 hrs
breach notification commitment

Explore Essai subject by subject

Each subject has its own product page with features, curriculum mapping and examples.

ChineseEnglishMathematicsScienceICTHumanitiesBAFSAll-subject plan

FAQ

Can we trial before deciding?
Yes. Schools can run a trial with teachers and students in real classes before making a decision, with no feature restrictions during the trial.
Do we need to install software or special hardware?
No. Essai runs in the browser on desktops and tablets, and supports sign-in with your school's existing Google or Microsoft accounts.
Can you support our funding application?
Yes. We provide proposal design and documentation support for schemes such as the IT Innovation Lab funding — ask us during your demo.

A live test with real student work beats any comparison table

Book a 30-minute demo, bring your students' real essays or papers, and see the marking output and teacher console on the spot.

Book a 30-minute demo

Fill in the form below — we will respond within 24-48 hours.

Or reach us directly:

admin@essaiedu.com | WhatsApp +852 9512 1375

Ask on WhatsApp