Only one in six back reducing or removing coursework to avoid AI misuse

Only around one in six adults believe reducing or removing coursework is the best way for schools to avoid the misuse of AI, a survey has suggested.

Public support on whether students should use artificial intelligence (AI) to improve their writing style in coursework is divided, according to a poll.

A YouGov survey, commissioned by Cambridge University Press & Assessment, found 89% believed it was “unacceptable” for pupils to use AI to entirely complete their school coursework.

But the poll, of 2,221 adults in the UK, found nearly half (46%) believe it is acceptable for school pupils to use AI to improve the punctuation and grammar in their coursework, while 44% did not.

Only 16% of UK adults believe reducing or removing coursework completed at home is the best way for schools to avoid student AI misuse.

The chief executive of exam board OCR is calling 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%) of UK adults oppose teachers using AI to mark coursework, while 27% support it.

But the majority (59%) 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.”

Published: 25/07/2025 by Radio NewsHub