Polls & word clouds
Live polls and word clouds for your class
Ask a question, students scan the code and answer on any device, and the results appear on your screen — anonymously if you like. In lessons, on your classroom screen or inside a quiz.
- Students join with a code or QR code
- Anonymous answers if you want
- Free for teachers
What are Edform's live polls and word clouds?
Edform's live polls and word clouds let every student answer at once from their own device. Ask a poll with your own answers, faces from 1 to 5, thumbs or yes / no / not sure, or a word cloud where the most common words grow bigger. Students scan a QR code or type a code — no accounts — and you decide when the results show, so everyone answers honestly. Polls and word clouds work as questions in live lessons, as widgets on your classroom screen and as unscored questions inside any quiz.
How to run a live poll
- 1
Add a poll or a word cloud
Add a Poll, Exit ticket or Word cloud widget to a classroom screen, or put a poll or word cloud question in a lesson.
- 2
Students answer on their devices
Choose On students' devices and show the code. Students scan it or type it on the join page.
- 3
Show the results
Answers arrive as students send them. Show the results when you're ready, start a new round or end it.
Try it yourself
Join a live lesson
You're a student in a live lesson. Answer the question and see what the class said.
The water cycle
Water evaporates from oceans and lakes, cools into clouds and falls back as rain or snow.
What happens when water vapour cools high in the sky?
Answering takes seconds
Students type the code, add their name only if you ask for it, and tap their answer. They can still change it until you show the answer.
- No account or email
- Phones, tablets and laptops
- Anonymous unless you ask for names
Right on your classroom screen
Poll, exit ticket and word cloud widgets sit next to your timer and name picker. Count raised hands in the room, or switch to students' devices.
- In the room or on students' devices
- Results hidden until you show them
- Pause answers and start a new round
Inside your live lessons
Add a poll or a word cloud to a lesson. When you present it, students answer on their devices and you show the answers to the class when you're ready.
- You move the slides, students follow
- Show or hide answers
- Answers saved in the lesson results
Everything you need to hear every student
Four poll styles
Your own answers with an emoji each, faces from 1 to 5, thumbs, or yes / no / not sure. Allow more than one answer if you like.
Word clouds that group answers
The same word is grouped whatever the capital letters, and the most common spelling is shown.
Limits you set
Choose 1 to 3 words per answer, the letters per answer and up to 5 answers per student.
Anonymous or named
Turn names on when you need to know who answered, and off for honest check-ins.
Exit tickets
Faces, thumbs or yes / no / not sure at the end of the lesson, in one tap.
Never graded
Polls and word clouds have no right answer, so they never affect a score — even inside a quiz.
Teachers use it for
- 01
Lesson openers
A word cloud about the new topic shows what students already know.
- 02
Checking understanding
Thumbs up, sideways or down before you move on.
- 03
Class decisions
Let the class vote on the next book or the class trip.
- 04
Exit tickets
How did today go? Faces from 1 to 5 on the way out.
Explore more
- Classroom screenTimers, name pickers and more on the board
- Classroom poll widgetStudents vote on their devices
- Word cloud widgetCollect ideas as a live word cloud
- Interactive lessonsSlides with live questions and polls
- Exit ticketsDigital exit tickets students answer in a minute
- Word cloudKey words of a topic shown as a word cloud, sized by importance.
Frequently asked questions
Do students need an account to answer?
No. They scan the QR code or type the code on the join page. You decide whether they also type their name.
Can I hide the results until everyone has answered?
Yes. Turn off Show results while students answer, then show them when you're ready.
Can I run a poll without student devices?
Yes. On a classroom screen choose In the room and add the votes or words yourself as students raise their hands.
Do the results update live?
Yes. New answers appear on your screen within a couple of seconds, with a count of how many students have answered.
Can I add a poll to a quiz?
Yes. Poll and word cloud are question types, so they can sit between scored questions. They have no right answer and no score.
Are live polls free?
Yes. Polls, word clouds and exit tickets are free for teachers.
Ask your class a question today
Free for teachers. Students answer with a code — no accounts, no installs.
- Free for teachers
- No credit card
- Works on any device