Using artificial intelligence to write your year 12 VCE exam essays? Experts say think again
Teachers have discovered half the students at one top Melbourne school are memorising AI-generated answers for a crucial VCE exam — but experts say it could tank their scores.
Year 12 students using artificial intelligence to pre-write essays could be putting themselves at a disadvantage, experts have warned as the VCE exam season fast approaches.
Thousands of students will sit the English exam on Tuesday, marking the start of three weeks of final Year 12 assessments.
But teachers and AI researchers fear one popular tactic to “ace” exams could jeopardise hundreds of students’ results.
Memorising entire pre-written essays or extended responses for content heavy subjects including English, Business Management and Legal Studies, is not a new strategy.
Teachers have warned students against this unsuccessful tactic for years because the memorised content may not reflect what is needed to answer the specific question asked in the exam, which students don’t see until they sit the final test.
But this hasn’t stopped students from predicting exam questions before using AI to pre-write essays, which some then memorise for their final exam.
One teacher from a prestigious Melbourne school, who didn’t wish to be identified, said half the Year 12 cohort was “committed to memorising AI for basically the whole exam”.
“Kids – thousands of them – are going to submit work which is not theirs. This includes smart kids from the top schools,” they said.
EPOCH consultancy education specialist and cognitive neuroscientist Dr Ari Pinar said pre-written exam essays typically scored poorly because assessors marked exams based on “how well a response addressed the specific question”.
He added an over-reliance on un-guardrailed generative AI, which provides answers without showing working out or feedback, could inflate practice scores, giving students false-hope in their final marks.
50Coach co-founder Rion Ahl added if everyone used AI to write their essays, examiners would end up with several identical essays that lacked substance.
Mr Ahl also shared his own experience with pre-writing essays, adding he performed “so badly” he had to drop out of English Language and literature.
“The only way you can do English is if you beat the eagle-eyed examiners by writing something with a bit of inspiration that is based on the actual question you’re being asked,” he said.
University of Melbourne cybersecurity expert Dr Shaanan Cohney said universities relied on ATAR scores to determine which students were suitable for competitive classes, and therefore students who used AI were undermining the fairness of this process.
“VCE students should know that while ChatGPT might make an exam easier, ultimately when it really comes time to face the music, in a job or out in the world — the personal growth they sacrificed on the altar of GPT will be hard to replace,” he said.
A VCAA spokesman said the issue of using pre-prepared answers for written VCE exams was mitigated by rewarding students who specifically addressed the demands of the individual question asked in their exam.
“The VCAA is focused on ensuring the 2025 VCE examinations provide all students with an opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they have developed throughout their schooling, and has measures in place to ensure all students are assessed fairly and equitably,” he said.
For those students who have already memorised entire essays for their exams, Mr Ahl advised they “discard” the essay and spend their remaining study days revising key themes or topics.
“You’re basically playing roulette if you think the ChatGPT strategies are going to work,” he said.
“Plan essays and ideas so that you have an adaptable framework, no matter what questions come up on the day.”
Originally published as Using artificial intelligence to write your year 12 VCE exam essays? Experts say think again
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