Your Grammar Practice Just Got More Rewarding
Fixing Our Biggest Gap
A few weeks ago I published a comparison of grammar exercise websites. When I got to our own site, I listed the downsides honestly. One of them was:
No gamification elements if that's what motivates you.
That line bugged me. Not because it was wrong — it was true — but because I knew how much a sense of progress matters when you're grinding through grammar exercises day after day. Memorizing the difference between present perfect and past simple is not naturally exciting. But watching a streak counter tick up? Unlocking a badge you didn't expect? That changes the feeling entirely.
So I built it. Today we're launching seven new features designed to make your practice sessions feel more rewarding — without turning the app into a game that distracts from actual learning.
What's New
Here's a quick overview of everything in this update:
- Points system — Earn points on every exercise, scaled by accuracy and difficulty
- Streaks — Track consecutive practice days with current and longest streak
- 41 badges — Unlock achievements across four categories
- Leaderboard — See how you rank against other learners
- Challenge sharing — Dare friends to beat your score
- Public profile — Your own shareable achievement page
- Email results — Send your scores to yourself, a teacher, or a parent
Let's dig into each one.
Points System
Every time you complete an exercise set, you earn points. The calculation is transparent — no mystery algorithms.
Base Score + Accuracy Bonus
Your base score comes from your accuracy (0–10 scale), plus a bonus tier:
| Accuracy | Base (0–10) | Accuracy Bonus | Total Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100% | 10 | +20 | 30 |
| 90–99% | 9 | +10 | 19 |
| 80–89% | 8 | +5 | 13 |
| 70–79% | 7 | +2 | 9 |
| Below 70% | 0–6 | +0 | 0–6 |
Difficulty Multiplier
Harder exercises are worth more. The multiplier is based on the CEFR level of the exercise set:
| CEFR Level | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| A1 (Beginner) | 1.0x |
| A2 (Elementary) | 1.2x |
| B1 (Intermediate) | 1.5x |
| B2 (Upper-Intermediate) | 2.0x |
| C1 (Advanced) | 2.5x |
Streak Multiplier
If you've practiced 7 or more days in a row, all points get a 1.5x streak bonus. This is a big deal — it rewards consistency over cramming.
Daily Bonus
Your first exercise of the day earns an extra +5 points, regardless of score. Just showing up counts.
Cooldown Multiplier
Here's the one that might surprise you: if you repeat the same exercise set within 14 days, points are halved (0.5x). This is intentional — it nudges you toward new material instead of farming a set you've already mastered. After 14 days, full points are restored.
Example Calculation
Let's say you score 9/10 on a B1-level exercise, you have a 10-day streak, and it's your first exercise today. You haven't done this set in the last month.
Base score: 9 (9/10 accuracy = 9)
Accuracy bonus: +10 (90% tier)
Total base: 19
Difficulty: × 1.5 (B1)
Cooldown: × 1.0 (last attempt > 14 days ago)
Streak: × 1.5 (10-day streak ≥ 7)
Subtotal: round(19 × 1.5 × 1.0 × 1.5) = 43
Daily bonus: +5
Total: 48 points
Not bad for a single exercise. Do that daily and you'll be climbing the leaderboard in no time.
Streaks
Streaks track consecutive days of practice. Complete at least one exercise set on a given day, and your streak continues.
How it works:
- Practice today after practicing yesterday → streak increases by 1
- Miss a day → streak resets to 1 on your next practice
- Your timezone is used for day boundaries, so "today" is always your local today
You'll always see two numbers: your current streak and your longest streak. The longest streak is permanent — it only goes up.
The Comeback Badge
Life happens. You'll break a streak eventually. When you do, don't give up. If you've ever had a 7-day streak, broken it, and then built back to 7 days again, you'll unlock the Comeback badge. It's one of the hardest to earn emotionally, and one of my favorites in the whole system.
The streak multiplier (1.5x at 7+ days) means the first week is the hardest part. Once you hit day 7, every exercise is worth 50% more. That's designed to reward the habit — not the honeymoon phase.
41 Badges
We launched with 41 badges across four categories. Each badge has a threshold you need to reach to unlock it.
Badge Categories
| Category | Count | What It Tracks | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Streak | 10 | Consecutive practice days | 7 days → 1,000 days |
| Points | 11 | Cumulative points earned | 50 pts → 100,000 pts |
| Mastery | 12 | Exercise sets passed (≥80%) | 1 set → 1,000 sets |
| Perfect | 8 | Exercise sets with 100% score | 1 set → 500 sets |
That's a long runway. The early badges (Starter, First Step, Perfect Score) are designed to come quickly — often in your first session. The late-game badges (Titan at 100K points, Guru at 1,000 mastered sets, Immaculate at 500 perfect sets) will take months of dedicated practice.
Five Badges Worth Chasing
First Step (Mastery) — Pass your first exercise set with 80% or higher. This is your "welcome to the club" moment. Most learners earn it within minutes.
On Fire (30) (Streak) — Practice 30 days in a row. A full month of daily grammar practice will transform your instincts. This is the badge where learners often say "it clicked."
Scholar (Points) — Earn 1,000 total points. By this point you've done serious work across multiple categories and difficulty levels. The name fits.
Perfectionist (Perfect) — Score 100% on 10 exercise sets. Not 80%, not 90% — perfect. This one forces you to slow down and think carefully about every question.
Comeback (Streak) — Break a 7-day streak, then rebuild it to 7. This badge doesn't reward perfection. It rewards persistence. You fell down and got back up. That's worth celebrating.
You can view all your badges — earned and locked — on the achievements page.
Leaderboard
Grammar practice is often a solo activity. The leaderboard adds a bit of friendly competition.
Four Time Periods
| Period | Resets |
|---|---|
| Today | Every day at 00:00 UTC |
| This Week | Every Monday at 00:00 UTC |
| This Month | First day of each month at 00:00 UTC |
| All Time | Never |
Each period shows the top 10 learners by points earned in that window. If you're not in the top 10, you'll still see your own rank and the learners immediately above and below you.
Privacy by Design
Your leaderboard name is an auto-generated handle like bright-owl-42 or swift-eagle-17. No real names, no emails. Your profile is public by default so others can see your badges, but the handle keeps your identity private.
If you'd rather stay completely invisible, profiles can be set to private — your data still works, you still earn everything, you just won't appear publicly.
Challenge Sharing
Score 85% or higher on an exercise set and you'll see a challenge prompt:
"I scored 92% on this English grammar quiz. Can you beat me?"
Share it to Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, or just copy the link. The shared URL takes your friend directly to the same exercise with your score displayed as the target to beat.
This is the viral loop: your friend sees your score, tries the exercise, gets their own score, and can challenge someone else. It turns a solo grammar drill into a friendly competition.
The 85% threshold is intentional. You should feel proud of the score you're sharing, and the person you're challenging should face a real bar. Nobody wants to be challenged by a 50% score.
Public Profile & Email Results
Your Profile
Every user gets an auto-generated handle (like keen-fox-73) and a public profile at /u/your-handle. The profile shows:
- Current and longest streak
- Total points
- All earned badges with the date you unlocked each one
Think of it as your grammar resume. Share the link with a teacher, a tutor, or anyone who wants to see proof of your work.
Email Results
After completing an exercise, you can email the results to yourself or someone else. The email includes:
- Exercise name, difficulty, and time spent
- Your score with color-coded results (green for 80%+, amber for 60–79%, red for below 60%)
- Every mistake listed with the correct answer and explanation
- Points earned, current streak, and any new badges
This is especially useful for students who want to share progress with a teacher or parents tracking their child's practice. Add a CC address and both recipients get the full breakdown.
Free accounts can send 1 email per day. That's enough for a daily progress report.
Why We Built This (And What We Didn't Build)
Let me be direct about the design philosophy.
Habits matter more than scores. The streak system, the daily bonus, and the 7-day multiplier are all designed to reward showing up consistently. We'd rather you practice 10 minutes a day for 30 days than binge 5 hours on a weekend.
The cooldown exists for a reason. Repeating the same exercise within 14 days gives you half points. This isn't a punishment — it's a nudge. If you scored 90% on Present Simple last week, you'll learn more by trying First Conditional today. The cooldown pushes you toward breadth.
Everything is free. Points, streaks, badges, leaderboard, challenge sharing, public profiles — all free, no paywall, no premium tier for gamification. We believe the reward system should be available to every learner, not just those who can pay.
Start Earning
Ready to see it in action? Here are some good starting points:
- New to grammar? Start with Present Simple exercises — earn your First Step badge in one session
- Want a challenge? Try Prepositions: in/on/at — the accuracy bonus is hard-earned here
- Feeling confident? Jump into Modal Verbs: can/could at B1 difficulty for that 1.5x multiplier
Or just browse all exercises and pick whatever catches your eye. Every completed set earns points now. Your achievements page and leaderboard position are waiting.
See you on the board.