A new survey reveals overwhelming public opposition to students using artificial intelligence to fully complete school coursework, though opinion is divided on its use for improving grammar and punctuation.
The YouGov poll, commissioned by Cambridge University Press & Assessment, found 89 per cent of adults deemed it “unacceptable” for pupils to use AI to entirely complete school assignments.
Yet, the survey of 2,221 UK adults highlighted a split on more nuanced uses, with nearly half (46 per cent) believing it acceptable for AI to enhance punctuation and grammar, while 44 per cent disagreed.
Despite concerns over AI misuse, only 16 per cent of UK adults believe reducing or removing coursework completed at home is the most effective strategy for schools.
The findings come as the chief executive of exam board OCR advocates for a co-ordinated national strategy on AI.
It comes after the independent curriculum and assessment review said it would consider reducing the “overall volume of assessment” at GCSE.
But the interim report, published in March, said the review had heard about the “risks” to standards and fairness concerning AI in relation to coursework.
The review – chaired by education expert Professor Becky Francis – will publish its final recommendations in the autumn.
The YouGov survey, which was carried out in June, suggests more than three in five (62 per cent) of UK adults oppose teachers using AI to mark coursework, while 27 per cent support it.
But the majority (59 per cent) support teachers using AI to complete their administrative tasks, such as lesson planning.
Jill Duffy, chief executive of OCR, said: “AI is already in our schools and is not going away.
“A co-ordinated national strategy, with funding to ensure no schools are left behind, will build public confidence in its transformational potential.
“The public is clear that coursework is too important to lose, even in the age of AI.
“It enables us to test different skills, and to reduce the intense volume of exams taken at 16.
“These findings should be seen as a challenge to all of us in education: find a way to adapt coursework so it is fit for the AI century.”
