Year 12s need to ditch AI and use their brains in the revision period before final exams, urges uni lecturer Dr Emily Frawley
The class of 2025 is the first group of year 12s to face their final exams in the AI era. One expert urges teens to take off the training wheels of ChatGPT in their final revision.
Year 12s sitting their final exams are truly the first AI cohort, according to University of Melbourne education lecturer Dr Emily Frawley.
Like the internet generation and screenagers before them, this cohort is faced with the unique challenges and opportunities the latest technological advancements present.
As these students sit their final exams, the English and literacy lecturer reminds them to think for themselves and “take the training wheels off” when it comes to AI as a study companion.
“This particular cohort is pretty much the first cohort who have had access to these sorts of large language models (like ChatGPT) throughout their senior schooling,” Dr Frawley said.
“A key concern is how teachers can work with this technology to ensure it does not replace students’ thinking entirely.”
As part of this masthead’s exam series, we’ve dived into the world of AI to share the wonderful opportunities it presents as study tool for final exams – by crunching years of exam papers to identify common questions and themes in each state.
AI EXAM INSIGHTS: New South Wales HSC | Queensland QCAA | Victoria VCE | South Australia SACE
Experts have shared ways students can use AI to gain valuable feedback, synthesise and visualise notes and prepare relevant and accurate exam practice questions.
But Dr Frawley reminds students they will not have their AI study companion when they finally sit their exams.
“Now is the time to take off the training wheels,” she said.
“Make sure exam preparation no longer relies on AI when you’re struggling.
“You need to build the critical thinking tools to think for yourself.
“Extended questions in every exam require students to think for themselves.
“It’s more than just recall, it’s about reasoning, critical thinking and evaluation.
“Take a moment to breathe, think back on your preparation, remind yourself on key terms and what the question is asking you to do.”
For essays, Dr Frawley said it’s important students take the time to plan effectively without AI thinking for them.
“Pick an essay question and spend five minutes planning a response with no notes,” she said.
“This is the time you’ll ideally spend in the exam.
“Then go back to your notes (or AI, if you must) and plan the essay more fully.
“Were there quotes you couldn’t remember at the time? Or some sentence starters you want to be sure to use?”
Dr Frawley also advised against the common mistake students make in regurgitating pre-written responses.
“Memorising won’t answer the question, and assessors only reward writing that answers the question,” she said.
“Instead, memorise nice phrases, academic verbs and little insights that you could rework into any essay.
“The skill is whether you can make them work for you – so practise using them yourself.”
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Originally published as Year 12s need to ditch AI and use their brains in the revision period before final exams, urges uni lecturer Dr Emily Frawley
