Are students allowed to use AI in their Assignments?

This will depend on school policy, how AI is being used and what it is being used for.   

We follow the JCQ guidance on this, and delivery and assessment of set assignments must adhere to the guidance. Please see the guidance on the JCQ AI Use in Assessments: Your role in protecting the integrity of qualifications document. Other JCQ documents pertaining to the use of AI can be found here.
   
Every student must produce their own work independently so the issue of acceptable use of AI comes down to whether the work that is being submitted for assessment, is the students' own.

In the case of generative AI, any generative text - knowledge, analysis/evaluation etc. would not be students' own and you would not be able to credit work in that case. 

In cases where it is used for things that do not directly gain marks - for example where we are not assessing a student's ability to create material, or we are not assessing their artistic or creative abilities, then it might be reasonable to use it. 

If Generative AI is used for creation of visual materials, the student and you/the assessor must be clear that the only acceptable use would be to generate them based on the students' own clear instructions, prompts and rationale, so that the only input of AI is the actual design element. It would not be acceptable to use suggestions from AI.  If AI was used to do anything but follow a student's instructions in this case, the work could not be awarded as the student's own. 

The key aspect to consider is whether you/the assessor, can be confident that marks awarded for assessed components of work, are the students' own.  As per section 8 of our Qualification Handbook, and JCQ guidelines, assessors need to be able to authenticate the work as the student's own.  

If AI is used, as with all sources, it must be properly referenced and evidenced. The ways that it must be referenced is detailed on page 7 of the JCQ AI Use in Assessments: Your role in protecting the integrity of qualifications, but it is copied below for easy reference.

Where AI tools have been used as a source of information, student acknowledgement must show the name of the AI source used and the date the content was generated. 

For example: 

ChatGPT 3.5 (https://openai.com/ blog/chatgpt/), 25/01/2025. 

The student must retain a copy of the question(s) and computer-generated content for reference and authentication purposes, in a non-editable format (such as a screenshot) and provide a brief explanation of how it has been used. This must be included with the work the student submits for assessment, so the teacher/assessor is able to review the work, the AI-generated content and how it has been used. 

If this is not submitted, but the teacher/assessor suspects that the student has used AI tools, the teacher/assessor will need to consult the centre’s malpractice policy for appropriate next steps and must take action to assure themselves the work is the student’s own.