Scoring Rules

Every challenge has a Scoring section. Which fields appear there depends on the challenge type.

Maximum points

Maximum points sets the ceiling for this challenge. With manual scoring the coordinator picks a value between 0 and that maximum. With automatic scoring it is either the full score or 0 — auto-scoring never awards anything in between.

Available for every challenge type.

Solution / reference answer

Solution / reference answer (optional) is a free-text field for the expected answer. It is shown to the coordinator next to the submission while scoring.

Participants never see this field. It works equally well for a model answer and for a scoring rubric, for example:

3 points: complete answer with reasoning
2 points: correct answer without reasoning
1 point:  partially correct answer
0 points: wrong or no answer

Available for every challenge type. It scores nothing by itself — it is a hand to the human who does the scoring.

Automatic scoring

Only two challenge types can be scored automatically

Quiz and QR code scan. For every other type — text, photo, video, audio, creative — the Auto-approve checkbox does not appear at all, because the system cannot judge a free-form answer. Those challenges are always scored by a coordinator.

A stored solution / reference answer does not change this: it is shown to the coordinator, never compared against the submission.

Quiz

With Auto-approve enabled you additionally pick the correct answer from the answer options. A team choosing exactly that option gets the full score, anything else gets 0. Scoring happens at the moment of submission.

Answer options must exist before a correct answer can be selected.

QR code scan

With Auto-approve enabled you enter the expected QR value. The scanned value is compared against it character for character — full score on a match, 0 otherwise.

Take the value from the real code, don't type it out

Scan the code that will actually be on site once, and copy the value it returns verbatim. A single trailing slash, a difference in capitalisation, or one digit off in the URL means 0 points. Where several similar codes hang in one place, make sure you configure the one participants will actually reach.

Turning Auto-approve back off makes the challenge require manual scoring and discards the correct answer or expected QR value.

If you change the challenge type later

Check the scoring settings after every type change

Changing the type of an existing challenge can leave settings from the old type behind — for example an enabled Auto-approve on a challenge that is now text. The setting then has no effect: the challenge still needs manual scoring while the admin view makes it look automatic.

Open the Scoring section and check it after every type change. Known defect, see App#459.

What the coordinator sees when scoring

The submission, the maximum score, the stored solution / reference answer if one is set, and a field for a comment to the team. Auto-scored submissions already carry their result and can be reopened and re-scored if needed.

Process and permissions: Scoring.