Evaluating 13 scenarios of AI in IB student coursework

Front

#1: A student uses AI for a

summary of key points for

their essay and suggests references.

Back

Acceptable: As a teacher,

ensure that the student truly

understands the points that

are being made.

Front

#2: A student uses AI for a summary of

counter-positions or alternative

viewpoints on a question or issue and

explores these further.

Back

Acceptable: If the student has used the ideas offered by AI to investigate and understand alternative views similar to how students would explore counter-positions in textbooks. But it is NOT acceptable for students to present arguments exactly as presented in a textbook, or as generated by AI.

Front

#3: A student uses AI to find

quotes on the essay topic

and simply copies them

without investigating further.

Back

Not acceptable: The student is not

using AI to identify sources to

investigate but is using AI to

replace part of the thinking process. A student must actively read and engage with the sources and references suggested by AI, not just simply acknowledge that they were found through AI.

Front

#4: A student instructs AI to

develop a research question

grounded in an IB subject for

investigation, with or without

elaboration on a topic area.

Back

Not acceptable: A student should work with their teacher or supervisor to

identify the subject and topic of

interest and may then instruct AI to

provide examples of research

questions in this area. This is not

dissimilar to reviewing past

essays/projects in a school library for

 inspiration.

Front

#5: A student uses AI to write an

example of this particular essay for

them and uses this as an example o a

model answer for their response

(translating it into their own words).

Back

Not acceptable: This is like a student finding an essay online or borrowing an essay from a former student to inspire all the ideas for their essay. The student’s understanding of the content should be tested using a viva or oral quiz. If they can demonstrate their understanding, allow the student to submit the work without penalty, while emphasizing that using AI in this way misses wider learning opportunities. If the student does

not display clear understanding of the content, it can be treated as plagiarism.

Front

#6: A student uses AI to generate a

paragraph or two for the essay, such as

the introduction or summary of an

argument and then uses this as a

model for their own content.

Back

Acceptable. If the student has used AI to provide references and examples.

NOT acceptable. If the student has used AI to replace their own thinking.

Front

#7: A student writes an essay,

then copies it into AI and

asks the tool to rewrite it for them

Back

Not acceptable. The teacher should

mark the original essay, but teacher

judgement is required. The IB requires teachers to be strict with IB

assessment tasks, requiring students to submit their original work. Teachers may exercise more discretion in the context of in-class work.

Front

#8: A student writes the

essay in one language and

then uses AI to translate it

into another language for submission.

Back

Not acceptable. The IB certifies that

the student has studied the subject in a particular language. Universities and employers are likely to assume the student can work in this language based on their IB certificate.

Front

#9: A student uses AI to

suggest improvements for

grammar and sentence

construction but not a

wholescale rewrite.

Back

Acceptable. Good practice

would be for the student to

state somewhere (at least to

the teacher) that they have

used AI in this way.

Front

#10: A student uses AI to

“mark” their work and

provide feedback for

improvement.

Back

Not acceptable. For IB assessments,

this use of AI is discouraged because it

violates the “one set of written

feedback” rule. The IB believes that the

teacher is better placed to provide that feedback.

Acceptable. In a non-assessment

context, using AI for feedback can be a valuable educational tool.