Evaluating 13 scenarios of AI in IB student coursework

A student uses AI to “mark” their work and provide feedback for improvement. What is the acceptability of this practice in IB assessments?

• 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.

• Acceptable. AI can be used in assessments as long as it is properly cited.

• Not acceptable. AI should only be used for administrative tasks, not for providing feedback.

#9: A student uses AI to suggest improvements for grammar and sentence construction but not a wholescale rewrite. What is considered acceptable practice for the student?

• To ignore the use of AI entirely.

• To state somewhere (at least to the teacher) that they have used AI in this way.

• To claim that the work is entirely their own without mentioning AI.

• To use AI for a complete rewrite of their work.

A student writes an essay, then copies it into AI and asks the tool to rewrite it for them. What should the teacher do?

• Mark the original essay, but teacher judgement is required.

• Accept the AI-rewritten essay as original work.

• Ignore the situation and give full credit for the essay.

• Allow the student to redo the essay without penalties.

A student uses AI for a summary of key points for their essay and suggests references. As a teacher, what should you ensure?

• The student can copy the summary without understanding it.

• The student truly understands the points that are being made.

• The student uses AI to write the entire essay.

• The student avoids using any references.

A student asks AI to “reflect” on a topic, process or question and uses this unchanged in their assessment. What is the acceptability of this practice?

• Acceptable, as it saves time for students.

• Not acceptable, as reflection requires personal evaluation and authenticity.

• Acceptable, if the AI-generated content is cited properly.

• Not acceptable, but only if the student is not aware of it.

A student instructs AI to develop a research question grounded in an IB subject for investigation, with or without elaboration on a topic area. What is the acceptable approach for a student in this context?

• 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.

• A student can independently instruct AI to create a research question without any prior discussion with a teacher.

• A student should only use AI to generate research questions after completing their project.

• A student must submit their research question to the school library for approval before using AI.

#2: A student uses AI for a summary of counter-positions or alternative viewpoints on a question or issue and explores these further.

• 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.

• Unacceptable: If the student presents arguments exactly as presented in a textbook, or as generated by AI.

• Acceptable: If the student only uses AI-generated summaries without further exploration.

• Unacceptable: If the student ignores alternative viewpoints altogether.

#5: A student uses AI to write an example of this particular essay for them and uses this as an example of a model answer for their response (translating it into their own words). What is the implication of this action?

• It is acceptable as long as the student translates it into their own words.

• It is considered plagiarism if the student does not display clear understanding of the content.

• It is a good practice to use AI for inspiration in writing essays.

• The student should be allowed to submit the work without any penalties.

#3: A student uses AI to find quotes on the essay topic and simply copies them without investigating further. What is the main issue with this approach?

• The student is effectively using AI to enhance their research.

• The student is not using AI to identify sources to investigate but is using AI to replace part of the thinking process.

• The student is engaging with the sources suggested by AI.

• The student is correctly acknowledging the use of AI in their work.

#13: A student uses AI to generate a template for the structure of their essay.

• This is considered academic misconduct regardless of acknowledgment.

• This is acceptable as long as the student acknowledges the use of AI when submitting their work.

• Using AI for this purpose is not allowed under any circumstances.

• This is only acceptable if the student uses a specific AI tool recommended by the institution.