Privacy policy

MarkSmith (“we”, “us”) provides independent IB coursework marking feedback through marksmith.online. This privacy policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and how we protect it.

If you have questions about this policy, contact us at the email address below.

Account information: email address, name (if provided), authentication details when you sign up with email or Google, and role (student or teacher).

Order and submission information: student name, contact email, IB subject and level, package selected, word count, Google Doc links, uploaded files (such as PDFs), Economics IA or English IO details you enter, and related order metadata (including private order numbers).

Payment information: payments are processed by Stripe. We receive payment status, amounts, and Stripe identifiers (such as customer or checkout session IDs). We do not store full card numbers on our servers.

Support and communications: messages you send through our support form, and related delivery status.

Technical data: basic logs needed to operate the site securely (for example, timestamps and error records). We do not sell personal information.

To create and manage your account, authenticate you, and show your dashboard.

To process submissions, deliver marking feedback on your Google Doc and by email, and issue late-turnaround credits where applicable.

To take payment, confirm payment status, prevent fraud, and keep transaction records.

To respond to support requests and send service-related messages about your orders.

To operate, secure, and improve MarkSmith (including diagnosing errors and enforcing our terms).

Service providers who help us run MarkSmith, including Supabase (database, authentication, and file storage), Vercel (hosting), Stripe (payment processing), and our email provider (transactional and support email).

Human markers engaged by MarkSmith, who need access to your submitted work and relevant order details solely to deliver feedback.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not share student work publicly or use it as marketing examples without your explicit written consent.

We may disclose information if required by law, regulation, or legal process, or to protect the rights, safety, or integrity of MarkSmith, our users, or others.

Information is transmitted to our providers over encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS) where supported.

Markers access submissions through MarkSmith’s teacher tools and the Google Doc link you provide. Payment data is handled on Stripe’s systems according to Stripe’s privacy and security practices.

Support emails may include the contact details and message content you submit so we can reply.

We use industry-standard safeguards appropriate to a web service of this type, including encrypted transport (HTTPS), access controls, and role-based permissions so only authorised teachers can view marking queues.

Payment card details are collected and processed by Stripe; MarkSmith does not store full card numbers.

No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. We work to protect your information, but we cannot guarantee absolute security.

We keep account, order, and submission records for as long as needed to deliver the service, meet legal or accounting obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our terms. Support messages and logs may be retained for a similar period.

You may request deletion of your account data by contacting us. We may retain limited information where we are legally required to do so or where it is needed for legitimate business records (for example, completed payment history).

MarkSmith and its providers may process data in countries other than where you live (for example, where our hosting or payment providers operate). Where we do so, we rely on appropriate safeguards offered by those providers and applicable law.

You can update profile details where the product allows, and you can contact us to correct inaccurate information or ask questions about your data.

You may decline to provide information, but we may then be unable to create an account, process payment, or mark your work.

MarkSmith is intended for IB students and related users of our service. If you believe we have collected personal information from a child in a way that is not appropriate, contact us and we will review and delete it where required.

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the bottom of this page will change when we do. Continued use of MarkSmith after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.