Writing Maths Questions With LaTeX (Without the Headache)

If you teach maths or science, you already know the pain: a fraction that collapses into a slash, an exponent that lands on the baseline, a question that reads fine to you but nonsense to your class. Writing maths questions with LaTeX fixes that, and in ClassKite you type the LaTeX straight into the question. This guide covers equations that render properly in the question and the answer, number answers that mark themselves, attaching a diagram and running the set as live or self-paced practice. Start by building a set you can reuse in your question bank.

Type the maths by hand with LaTeX

ClassKite lets you write questions by hand and enter maths as LaTeX, so equations render cleanly in the question text and in the answer. There's no graphical equation editor or handwriting conversion: you type the LaTeX source, which is quick once you know a handful of patterns. The ones you'll use most:

Fractions: \frac{3}{4} renders as a stacked fraction.
Powers: x^2 and 2^{10} for exponents.
Roots: \sqrt{16} and \sqrt[3]{27}.
Subscripts and symbols: v_0, \theta, \pi.

Writing questions by hand with LaTeX works on the free Teacher Basic plan, so you can try it without paying. Mix multiple choice, true/false, matching, jumbled sentence and fill-in-the-blank questions to suit what you're assessing.

Use number fill-in-the-blank for auto-marking

For anything with a numeric answer (solve for x, evaluate the expression, find the gradient), use a fill-in-the-blank number answer. It is marked the moment a student submits, so you're not marking calculations by hand. Write the question in LaTeX (for example, "Evaluate \frac{12}{4} + 2^2"), enter the expected number, and the marking is done for you.

Write the question text and any maths in LaTeX.
Choose fill-in-the-blank and enter the number answer.
Where a diagram helps (a triangle, a circuit, a graph), attach an image to the question.

If you're on Teacher Plus or the School plan, you can also draft questions with the AI question generator and review each one. Bulk-importing a spreadsheet is another route, useful when you're building a large bank.

Run it live or self-paced

Once your set is ready, run it as live practice with the whole class or set it self-paced for individual work. Students join free in the browser with a join code, with no app to install. Answers are marked as they come in; the assessment tools report completion, average score, right first time and solved, and the Gradebook adds up the grades for you.

Start writing maths questions in ClassKite and run a quick practice with your first LaTeX question.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a paid plan to write maths questions?

No. Writing questions by hand, including maths entered as LaTeX, is available on the free Teacher Basic plan. The AI-draft shortcut is on Teacher Plus and the School plan, which also include unlimited bulk spreadsheet import. See what each plan includes.

Is there a graphical equation editor or handwriting-to-LaTeX?

No. You type the LaTeX source, and it renders in both the question and the answer.

Will number answers mark themselves?

Yes. A fill-in-the-blank number answer is marked on submit against the number you entered.