🖊️ PaperTrail Write $49/yr

Let them write.
Then see how they wrote.

Write is a distraction-reduced, integrity-aware writing environment for in-class timed assignments. Students join with a code, write, and submit. You receive the essay alongside a structured process log — every paste event, every focus change, timed and documented.

Students join with a code — no account needed Students see exactly what is and isn't recorded before they begin No clipboard contents, keystrokes, or screen activity captured Submission data is purged after you download the session report Built by a teacher, for the hardest conversation in teaching
PaperTrail Write Essay: The Ethics of AI in Schools
45:00
This session is being documented
Process Log — Teacher View (Jordan M.)

A writing space that shows its work. Not a surveillance tool — a structured, documentable process record.

What Write captures

Five signals. One honest picture of how the writing happened.

Write doesn't surveil students — it documents the session with a narrow, transparent set of behavioral signals. Students are told exactly what these are before they begin.

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Timed Sessions

Set a duration when you create the assignment. Students see a live countdown. When time expires, the textarea locks — no extensions without a deliberate teacher action from the dashboard. Pause and resume are also available.

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Paste Detection

Every paste event is logged with a timestamp and character count. If the pasted content is deleted within a short window — a signal worth noting — that's recorded too. No clipboard contents are accessed; only the presence and size of the paste event.

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Focus-Loss Tracking

If a student navigates away from the writing tab or minimises the window, the timestamp and duration are logged. The event is recorded — not blocked. Students are told this will happen before they begin.

Time to First Keystroke

The gap between the session starting and the first character typed. A student who starts writing immediately tells a different story from one who waits until the final minutes — without any content in between.

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Session Reports

On submission, you receive the full essay text alongside a structured process log: every captured event, timed and labeled. Download as a ZIP. Data is purged from the server after you download — you are the custodian of the record.

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Join-Code Access

Students join with a short code you share — no account, no email, no registration. You control when the session opens and closes. Roster matching is optional: link a class list and students select their name from a dropdown.

How it works

Three steps — for the teacher. One for the student.

Write is built to be as frictionless as possible. Students shouldn't be thinking about the tool — they should be thinking about the writing.

  1. 1

    Create an assignment

    Name the assignment, set the duration, and optionally add a prompt and link a class roster. A join code is generated automatically.

  2. 2

    Share the join code

    Write the code on the board or paste it into your LMS. Students go to write.papertrailacademic.com, enter the code, and they're in.

  3. 3

    Students see the transparency screen

    Before they write a single word, students are shown exactly what is and isn't being captured. This screen is non-skippable and cannot be altered by the teacher.

  4. 4

    Monitor live, download on submission

    Watch submissions arrive in real time from your teacher dashboard. When a student submits, the session report is waiting for you — essay text and full process log, ready to download.

Teacher Dashboard — Period 3 Essay: The Ethics of AI · 38:14 remaining
24
Joined
18
Writing
4
Submitted
3
Paste events
Students
Aisha K.
312 words · writing
Jordan M. 1 paste
487 words · writing
Marcus T. Submitted
521 words · 37m
Priya S.
198 words · writing
⏸ Pause Session
⬇ Download Reports

Student transparency

Students know exactly what's being captured — before they begin.

Before the first keystroke, every student sees a non-skippable transparency screen. This isn't a setting teachers can toggle. It's part of the product — the same screen, every session, every student.

✓  What is captured

  • Time spent writing and total word count
  • Whether you left this page or switched windows, and for how long
  • Whether you pasted content into the writing area, and how much
  • Whether pasted content was removed shortly after being added
  • Time between session start and first keystroke

✕  What is not captured

  • Your clipboard contents
  • Individual keystrokes or typing patterns
  • Screen activity, camera, or microphone
  • Anything from other tabs or applications
  • Any data after the teacher downloads the session report
This data is one input among many. Educator judgment governs all interpretation and any subsequent conversation with a student.

Why not just use Google Docs?

A shared Google Doc doesn't document the process.

You can see what was written. Write tells you how.

Capability Google Docs PaperTrail Write
Timed session with automatic lock
Paste events logged with timestamps
Focus-loss / window-switch detection
Time to first keystroke
Join-code access, no student account
Mandatory student transparency screen
Spell check / grammar check off by default
Teacher live session dashboard
Submission text preserved

Start your first Write session today.

Create an assignment, share the code, and have your first session running in under two minutes. No Chrome extension required for teachers or students.

No student accounts or data stored Students see what's captured before writing FERPA-conscious design

The PaperTrail Suite

Write is the start of the picture — not the whole one.