Interpreting WIRE Results

When a submission is flagged by WIRE, it’s important to understand what the results mean and how to act on them.

What You See

For each flagged submission, Penmate provides:

• A flag indicator showing that the submission raised concerns
• Highlighted text — sentences in the student’s work are colour-coded to show areas of concern (green = low concern, yellow = moderate, red = high)
• Writing behaviour insights — a visual overview of how the text was produced during the submission session
• A summary with key observations about the submission

What to Do When a Submission Is Flagged

1. Review the highlighted text — look at which parts of the submission raised concerns
2. Check the writing behaviour — consider how the student produced their text
3. Consider the context — some students type quickly or use autocomplete, which can sometimes affect results
4. Use professional judgement — WIRE is a tool to support your assessment, not a definitive verdict
5. Talk to the student — if you have concerns, discuss the submission with the student directly

Things to Keep in Mind

• No evaluation is perfect — writing integrity evaluation technology is continually evolving, and no method is 100% accurate
• False positives can occur — a flagged submission does not automatically mean the student cheated
• Students don’t see the results — WIRE data is visible only to teachers
• Use it as one signal among many — combine WIRE results with your knowledge of the student’s ability and writing style