How AI in education can help teachers reclaim time for EAL learners

Sponsored content by FlashAcademy®.

Teachers are working harder than ever in increasingly multilingual classrooms. With more pupils speaking English as an Additional Language (EAL), schools are turning to AI in education to streamline tasks and reclaim time. In some UK schools, more than half of pupils speak English as an Additional Language (EAL) and helping each learner achieve a good level of proficiency is essential for both academic progress and life outcomes. Yet the administrative burden of assessing, tracking and supporting EAL learners often takes up valuable teacher time.

AI in education as a time-saving tool

AI in education is beginning to offer practical solutions. Used carefully, AI can automate repetitive processes while keeping professional judgement with teachers. In EAL assessment, this has significant potential. Assessing language progress is traditionally a time-consuming process involving hundreds of individual responses, manual data entry and a lack of an agreed marking approach.

Real-world impact: AI assessment in EAL classrooms

FlashAcademy®’s AI-assisted marking feature is one example of how time-saving technology can address the challenge. Pupil responses to assessments are analysed instantly, generating summaries that highlight performance trends. Teachers review and validate results, but the groundwork is already done. This is no replacement for professional insight but removes the time commitment associated with routine marking.

At the International School@ParkCity Hanoi, this approach has transformed their EAL assessment process. Staff previously spent more than 230 hours each year preparing, marking and analysing three assessments per pupil. With AI-assisted assessment and marking through FlashAcademy®, that figure has fallen to 20 hours – a 91% reduction – while the number of assessments has doubled. Teachers now spend the time saved on lesson planning and direct learner support, leading to 70% of students showing measurable progress.

AI time-saving at scale

The technology has been trialled at scale by the International Schools Partnership (ISP), a global network of 111 schools. During a pilot involving 2,500 students and 100 teachers, the AI reviewer achieved 91% accuracy when cross-checked against teacher judgements, with differences only at grade boundaries. Teachers reported faster turnaround times, reduced workload and more time to act on results. Notably, 80% of students tested three times within the academic year improved by a full proficiency band – double the expected rate.

Across thousands of schools, the collective impact is significant. FlashAcademy®’s research shows the platform saves an average of 150 hours per teacher per year. By automating repetitive assessment tasks, AI helps to reduce teacher workload and redirect time towards classroom interaction and individual learner support.

The future of AI in education: freeing teachers’ time

Technology has the capacity to deliver real value when it reduces administrative load and enables human connection through time spent developing strong classroom relationships.  As the use of AI in education evolves, its most effective role is as an assistant giving teachers back the time to do what they do best: teach.

Take a look at how FlashAcademy can elevate provision for your EAL learners.