What is Medly? AI Study Partner Explained

Medly is an AI-powered study partner built specifically for students preparing for GCSE, A-Level, IGCSE, IB, AP and SAT exams. Unlike general-purpose AI tools, Medly is designed around real exam specifications. Since launching, Medly has been used by over 200,000 students, with 90,000 active users every month and an average daily engagement of 38 minutes. In our GCSE 2025 analysis, 74.1% of students improved by at least one grade and 40.5% improved by two or more grades.

How Medly Works

Getting started with Medly takes about two minutes. You sign up for free at app.medlyai.com — no credit card required — and then choose your exam board, your subjects, and the topics you want to focus on.

From there, the core loop is straightforward:

1. Practise exam-style questions that match your specific exam board and specification. These are not generic quiz questions pulled from the internet. They are reviewed and edited by experienced teachers to reflect the style, difficulty, and command words you will actually see on exam day.

2. Get instant AI marking based on exam style mark schemes. Medly does not just tell you whether you are right or wrong. It breaks down exactly where you earned marks, where you lost them, and why, just like a real examiner would.

3. Receive personalised feedback that explains what you need to do differently. If you missed a key term, Medly tells you which one. If your answer structure was off, it shows you how to restructure it.

4. Adapt to your level. As you practise, Medly tracks which topics you have mastered and which ones still need work. So you are always working on the areas that will have the biggest impact on your grade.

This cycle of practise, feedback, and adaptation is grounded in principles from cognitive science and spaced repetition research. It is also how the best private tutors work except Medly is available whenever you need it and costs a fraction of the price.

Key Features

Exam-Style Questions Matched to Your Specification

Every question on Medly is mapped to a specific exam board and specification. Whether you are studying AQA Biology or Edexcel History, the questions you practise reflect the format, mark allocation, and content your exam will test. This means you see the same types of command words ("Evaluate", "Explain", "Compare") and the same mark distributions that appear on your actual paper. All content is reviewed and edited by teachers , ensuring the questions are genuinely useful for your actual exam.

AI-Powered Instant Marking

Medly marks your answers using AI models trained on exam style marking criteria. It does not simply check for keywords (although unfortunately that is a major part of how markschemes are now designed) it evaluates the quality, structure, and accuracy of your response the way a real examiner would. You get a detailed breakdown of marks awarded and specific guidance on how to improve. The AI is built on a combination of frontier models adapted specifically for exam marking and a pedagogical first approach to teaching.

Learn Mode

Launched in February 2026, Learn Mode integrates structured lessons directly into the practice experience. Rather than only testing what you know, Medly now teaches you the content as well. Each lesson is aligned to your specification and followed by targeted questions so you can immediately apply what you have just learnt. It is designed for students who want a complete study tool, not just a question bank.

AI Tutor Available 24/7

Stuck on a question at 11pm the night before your exam? Medly's AI tutor is always available. You can ask it to explain a concept, walk you through a worked example, or help you understand where you went wrong. Crucially, it does not just hand you the answer, it guides you towards the solution step by step, reinforcing your understanding rather than encouraging shortcuts.

Medly Mocks

Full-length completely free mock exams with proper timing and exam conditions that run twice a year. Medly Mocks simulate the real experience so you can build stamina, practise time management, and identify weak spots before the actual exam. Each mock is marked automatically, and you receive a detailed performance report afterwards showing your score, topic-by-topic breakdown, and specific areas to revisit.

Handwriting Recognition

If you prefer working on a tablet, Medly's fine tuned handwriting recognition lets you write your answers by hand and have them marked just like typed responses. This is particularly useful for subjects like Maths and Chemistry where equations and diagrams are part of the answer.

Who is Medly Exams For?

Medly Exams is built for students at several key stages:

• GCSE students (Year 10-11) preparing for their first major set of exams across multiple subjects.
• A-Level students (Year 12-13) who need deeper, more rigorous practice as they prepare for university applications.
• IGCSE students studying the Cambridge or Edexcel international curriculum.
• IB students working through Higher Level and Standard Level subjects.
• AP and SAT students in the United States preparing for college admissions exams.

Parents also find Medly valuable as a way to support their children's revision without needing to understand the material themselves. The platform handles the subject expertise, the marking, and the feedback.

Medly works for all ability levels. Whether you are targeting a grade 4 or aiming for an A*. Students who are struggling benefit from the structured, step-by-step feedback. High achievers benefit from the exam-specific precision and the challenge of increasingly difficult questions.

Supported Exams and Subjects

Medly covers a wide range of exam boards, formats, and subjects. Here is an overview:

New subjects and exam boards are added regularly. If your subject is not listed yet, it is worth signing in and checking as the library expands frequently. Medly's content team works closely with practising teachers to ensure every new subject meets the same standard of accuracy and exam alignment as the rest of the platform.

How is Medly Different from ChatGPT?

This is one of the most common questions we hear, and it is an important one. On the surface, both Medly and ChatGPT use AI to help you learn. But the way they work and the outcomes they produce are fundamentally different.

The most important difference is pedagogical. ChatGPT is designed to answer questions. Medly is designed to help you learn. When you get stuck, Medly does not just tell you the answer — it asks you guiding questions, gives you hints, and helps you work through the problem yourself. This approach, sometimes called the Socratic method, leads to much deeper and longer-lasting understanding.

There is also the issue of accuracy. ChatGPT can and does produce incorrect information, something known as hallucination. Medly's content is reviewed by experienced teachers and its marking AI is specifically trained on exam style mark schemes, which significantly reduces errors and ensures the feedback you receive is reliable.

Finally, safeguarding matters. Medly is purpose-built for students, with DBS-checked safeguarding leads overseeing the platform and content moderation designed to keep interactions appropriate and safe. ChatGPT has no such protections, which is an important consideration for parents and schools.

Pricing

Medly is free to start. You can sign up and begin practising without entering any payment details — no credit card, no trial period, just immediate access to exam-style questions and AI feedback.

For full access to all features, including unlimited questions, Learn Mode, Practice Papers, and priority AI tutor access, the subscription is £24.99 per month. One-time payment options are also available for students who prefer not to commit to a recurring subscription.

To put that in context, the average private tutor in the UK charges between £25 and £60 per hour. Medly provides unlimited, personalised tutoring across all your subjects for less than the cost of a single tutoring session. That is roughly 95% cheaper than traditional private tutoring.

You can sign up for free at app.medlyai.com/auth/signup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Medly free?

Yes, Medly is free to start. You can create an account and begin practising without a credit card or any payment. The free tier gives you access to exam-style questions and AI marking so you can see how the platform works before deciding whether to upgrade. Paid plans unlock unlimited questions, full mock exams, Learn Mode, and enhanced AI tutor features.

Does Medly work for my exam board?

Medly supports all the major UK exam boards: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC, and CIE. It also covers IGCSE (Cambridge and Edexcel), IB Diploma Programme, AP, and SAT. When you set up your account, you select your specific exam board and specification, and all your questions and marking are tailored accordingly. If you are unsure whether your subject is supported, you can check during sign-up — the subject list is updated regularly.

Can Medly replace a tutor?

For many students, yes. Medly provides the core benefits of a good tutor: personalised practice, detailed feedback on your answers, and guidance on how to improve. It is available 24/7, covers all your subjects, and adapts to your level automatically. That said, some students benefit from the accountability and human connection that a tutor provides. Medly works well as a complete study solution on its own, but it is also an excellent complement to in-person tutoring if you already have one.

Is Medly safe for students?

Student safety is a priority at Medly. The platform has a dedicated safeguarding system with DBS-checked safeguarding leads. All AI interactions are moderated to ensure content is appropriate for students. The platform does not include social features, messaging between users, or any functionality that could expose students to risk. You can read more about Medly's approach to safety in our Safety and AI article.

How accurate is Medly's marking?

Medly's marking AI is trained on exam style marking criteria and calibrated against real examiner standards. All question content is reviewed by teachers with years of experience to ensure accuracy. While no marking system — human or AI — is perfect 100% of the time, Medly's results speak for themselves: 74.1% of students improved by at least one grade, and 40.5% improved by two or more. The system is continuously refined based on student feedback and examiner input.

---

Medly was built to solve a simple problem: too many students do not have access to the personalised support they need to reach their potential. Whether you are revising for GCSEs, preparing for A-Levels, or studying for the IB, Medly gives you exam-specific practice, intelligent feedback, and a study partner that is available whenever you need it.

To learn more about the people and mission behind Medly, read About Us. For details on how we approach AI responsibly in education, see Safety and AI.