Frequently asked questions

What is Wise Cow?

Wise Cow helps you learn and revise Scottish National 5 Mathematics with lessons, worked examples and practice questions. Write on the integrated whiteboard or upload your working for automatic marking, and track your progress as you go.

How do I start learning?

Sign in and open your course dashboard. Choose Learn for lessons and worked examples, Practice for topic questions, or Revise for past-paper questions.

How do I answer a question?

Write your answer and working on the integrated whiteboard, or upload photos of your paper working.

How do I erase or undo writing?

Use the Eraser to remove ink, Undo to reverse your latest drawing action, or Clear to remove all writing from the surface.

Is my working saved automatically?

Yes. Check the save status on the question page before leaving. If saving fails, keep the page open and retry. To submit your saved answer for marking, press Mark.

How does automatic marking work?

Wise Cow marks your submitted working against criteria based on official marking schemes and shows a breakdown of the marks awarded. Show your method as well as your final answer so it can assess your working.

What if I think a mark or an answer is wrong?

You can manually change each mark, so if you think your work has been marked incorrectly, feel free to adjust it. You can also use Flag to bring anything that doesn't look right in a question or its marking to our attention, and we'll investigate.

Which devices can I use with the integrated whiteboard?

Use a tablet that supports an active pen, paired with a stylus compatible with your exact model:

  • Apple iPad with a compatible Metapen or Apple Pencil.
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab that supports S Pen input, with a compatible S Pen.
  • Amazon Fire Max 11 or Fire HD 10 (13th generation, 2023 release), with a compatible USI 2.0 stylus, such as the Made for Amazon Stylus Pen.
  • Lenovo tablet that supports active pen input, with the Lenovo pen specified for that model.

Check the tablet and pen manufacturers’ compatibility lists before buying. Not every Amazon Fire, Samsung or Lenovo tablet supports an active pen, and pens are not interchangeable across all models. Basic rubber-tip styluses cannot draw on the Wise Cow whiteboard.

Which stylus should I buy for my iPad?

Choose a Metapen or Apple Pencil that supports your exact iPad model. Check the compatibility list for the specific pen before buying.

See Metapen’s iPad pens and compatibility guidance or Apple’s Apple Pencil compatibility list.

Which stylus should I buy for my Samsung Galaxy Tab?

Use the S Pen supplied with your tablet, or buy a replacement compatible with your Galaxy Tab model.

Check your tablet’s specifications and Samsung’s S Pen guidance before buying a replacement.