Now that you are beginning to write your Personal Study essay it seems appropriate to clarify the use AI. These principles is relevant for any for of writing that an A-level photography students is required to do, ie. essays, artists case studies, contextual studies, image analysis etc.
We (teachers) are assessing an individual students ‘knowledge’ and ‘understanding’ so if it seems as if a piece of written work is inconsistent with the evidence you already have published on the blog, then some sort of viva voce (oral examination) would be good to ascertain if that work does represent that students’ ‘knowledge’ and ‘understanding’ of a topic. If not, then the usual guidelines around plagiarism need to apply – ie disqualification.
Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation that regulates qualifications, examinations and assessments in England are really clear about the use of ChatGTP to construct coursework. It’s basically a hard NO. Coupled with the fact that they use AI detection on work which appears to be plagiarised or fabricated by AI and can disqualify it. Synthesising arguments from research is an essential skill which is being tested in assessment objectives so to get an AI to do it is essentially cheating.
For those interested here is a document from JCQ (Joint Council for Qualifications outlining the current rules that govern student’s use of AI. Also, here in the following link to the Ofqual Guide for Schools and Colleges 2025 there is a paragraph about teachers using AI as the means to mark student work. It is under the subheading ‘During Assessments and Marking’.
How to use AI responsibly:
If using AI is essential for your learning, follow these set of principles:
- Reference if AI/ ChatGPT has been used like any other literary or academic source.
- Reference what text prompt has been used and when (date).
- Demonstrate how you have used AI to inform your own knowledge and understanding.