AI can correct a paragraph in seconds. That does not necessarily mean the student has learned to write better.
For ESL teachers, the most useful writing tools do more than remove errors. They help students notice a problem, make a decision, revise the draft, and explain what changed. They also let teachers control the goal instead of allowing the tool to rewrite everything.
This guide compares five tools from a teacher’s perspective: how they fit a whole class, small group, or private lesson; which learners can use them independently; and where human feedback is still essential.
The Best Tools at a Glance
| Tool | Best for | Main user | Best setting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge Write & Improve | ESL-specific independent revision | Student | Teens, adults, exam preparation |
| Brisk Teaching | Rubric-based teacher feedback in existing documents | Teacher | Whole classes using Google or Microsoft tools |
| Class Companion | Repeated writing attempts with immediate feedback | Teacher and student | Managed school classes |
| Grammarly | Grammar, clarity, and tone during self-editing | Student or teacher | Older teens and adults |
| ChatGPT | Customized explanations and feedback prompts | Teacher or mature student | Tutoring, small groups, teacher preparation |
1. Cambridge Write & Improve: Best for ESL-Specific Revision
Write & Improve was developed by the University of Cambridge for learners of English. Students choose a task or respond to one created by a teacher, submit their writing, receive automatic feedback, revise, and check it again. Results are connected to CEFR levels.
That revision cycle is its greatest strength. Students do not simply receive a corrected final version; they are expected to make changes and resubmit.
Teachers can assign one short task before class, require two versions, and ask students to identify three changes. In tutoring, compare the automated feedback with the teacher’s response.
The free version includes hundreds of tasks. Class View offers additional teacher management and progress features.
Write & Improve is most suitable for teens and adults who can interpret feedback independently. Younger learners may need a teacher beside them because automatic hints do not always explain a problem in child-friendly language.
Limitation
The system cannot respond fully to the student’s ideas, voice, cultural context, or intended meaning. Cambridge also notes that it cannot identify everything that should be revised.
Best for
ESL learners who need frequent writing practice and a clear write–check–revise cycle.
2. Brisk Teaching: Best for Teacher Feedback in Google Docs
Brisk Teaching works inside tools many teachers already use, including Google Docs and Microsoft environments. A teacher can generate feedback using formats such as Glows & Grows, Next Steps, targeted comments, or rubric criteria.
This is useful for a class set of ESL writing because the teacher can choose the focus. Instead of asking AI to comment on everything, you might request feedback only on paragraph organization, past-tense consistency, or supporting details.
Brisk’s batch feedback tools can process multiple pieces of student work, while the teacher reviews and edits the comments before sharing them. Some batch, insight, and advanced feedback features depend on the plan.
Avoid a broad request such as “Give feedback on this essay.” Specify the learner’s level, assignment goal, one or two priorities, and whether errors should be identified or corrected. For example:
Limitation
Fast feedback can become excessive feedback. A B1 student does not benefit from twenty corrections on one page. The teacher must decide what the learner is ready to work on.
Best for
Teachers managing many digital submissions who want feedback drafts inside their existing workflow.
3. Class Companion: Best for Practice with Immediate Feedback
Class Companion lets teachers create or import assignments, define rubrics and instructions, and decide how students receive AI feedback or tutoring. Teachers can view submissions, attempts, and class insights, and they can override AI judgments.
Unlike a general grammar checker, it is designed around an assignment. Students can respond, receive guidance, and try again while the teacher remains connected to the process.
For a short opinion paragraph, the teacher might limit feedback to a clear opinion, two supporting reasons, and appropriate linking words. Grammar can be addressed later so the main writing goal is not buried under surface corrections.
Class Companion makes the most sense in a managed school setting where students already use classroom accounts and the school has approved the platform. It may be more setup than a private tutor needs for one learner.
Limitation
Immediate scoring can encourage students to chase the score instead of developing an idea. Use multiple attempts for purposeful revision, not repeated guessing.
Best for
Middle school, high school, and adult programs that want teacher-controlled assignments and repeated practice.
4. Grammarly: Best for Surface-Level Self-Editing
Grammarly provides real-time suggestions for grammar, spelling, punctuation, clarity, and tone. It can be useful after a student has already developed the content and organization of a draft.
Teach students to ask whether a suggestion preserves their meaning and whether they can explain the change. This makes Grammarly a self-editing tool rather than an automatic correction button. It also works well for teachers checking instructions and feedback comments.
Grammarly is better suited to older teens and adults. Young writers first need to develop sentences and ideas with a teacher; constant automated correction can interrupt that process.
Limitation
Grammarly is strongest at sentence-level editing. It should not be the main judge of content, argument, creativity, or whether a response fulfills the learning objective.
Best for
The final editing stage, after meaning and structure have already been revised.
5. ChatGPT: Best for Customized Feedback and Explanation
ChatGPT can provide feedback at a specified CEFR level, explain a recurring error, generate examples, or help a teacher turn rubric language into student-friendly comments.
The prompt must prevent it from taking over the writing.
This format protects student ownership: the AI responds with a strength, questions, and one teachable pattern rather than a polished replacement.
Teachers can use ChatGPT to prepare a mini-lesson from anonymized error patterns. In tutoring, teacher and student can evaluate its advice together. Independent use is better reserved for learners mature enough to follow clear AI-writing rules.
Limitation
ChatGPT can misdiagnose an error, change the writer’s intended meaning, or produce feedback above the learner’s level. Never enter identifiable or confidential student information into a personal account.
Best for
Flexible feedback when the teacher can define the task precisely and review the response.
Which Tool Fits Your Teaching Context?
| Context | Best starting point | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Large class using Google Docs | Brisk Teaching | Feedback stays close to student work |
| School wants repeated digital practice | Class Companion | Assignments, attempts, and feedback are connected |
| Teen or adult independent practice | Write & Improve | Built around English learners and revision |
| Final grammar and clarity check | Grammarly | Strong sentence-level editing support |
| Private tutoring or unusual task | ChatGPT | Flexible feedback and explanations |
| Young learners | Teacher-guided writing first | AI should not replace oral rehearsal and shared writing |
A Three-Pass ESL Writing Workflow
Using several tools on the same draft is usually unnecessary. A simpler three-pass workflow is more effective.
Pass 1: Meaning and organization
The student writes without real-time correction. The teacher, Brisk, or Class Companion responds to the assignment goal: ideas, organization, evidence, or audience.
Pass 2: One language priority
The student revises one recurring area, such as verb tense, article use, sentence boundaries, or linking words. Write & Improve or a carefully limited ChatGPT prompt can support this stage.
Pass 3: Final editing and reflection
The student uses Grammarly or a checklist for surface errors, then submits a short note:
That reflection shows whether the learner understood the feedback instead of merely clicking “accept.”
Protecting Student Writing and Authorship
Follow school policy and verify account, age, and privacy requirements. Do not paste names, grades, disability information, immigration details, or other identifiable records into a personal AI account.
Make the AI boundary explicit in every assignment. For example:
- AI may identify unclear sentences but may not rewrite them.
- AI may ask revision questions but may not generate the response.
- Students must keep the first draft and describe which suggestions they used.
AI detectors cannot reliably prove who wrote a text. Draft history, short conferences, in-class writing, and student reflection provide better evidence of authorship and learning.
Final Recommendation
Choose Write & Improve for independent ESL revision, Brisk Teaching for teacher feedback across many documents, and Class Companion for managed assignments with repeated attempts. Use Grammarly at the final editing stage and ChatGPT when you need flexible, carefully constrained feedback.
The goal is not to produce error-free writing in one click. It is to help students understand feedback, make purposeful revisions, and gradually need less support.
Official plan information: Write & Improve · Brisk Teaching · Class Companion · Grammarly · ChatGPT