Connor Toms, Computer Science Subject Advisor

The rapid and ongoing advances in generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools bring both benefits and challenges to education and assessment. In this blog, I’ll discuss the particular challenges of dealing with private candidates and explain what steps centres should take to mitigate AI misuse.

What’s different about dealing with private candidates?

Each year schools and colleges across the UK support private candidates. Private candidates are learners who are not enrolled at those schools and colleges but sit qualifications through the centre. Where non-exam assessments (NEA) are included in those qualifications schools must be particularly vigilant on the misuse of AI. 

One of the key aspects in identifying potential AI misuse is having a clear understanding of a learner’s usual standard of work and writing style. Classroom teachers are best placed to recognise any changes in this. Examples of this include changes in tone, in use of vocabulary, in structure and producing work of a higher standard than previously seen. With private candidates this increases the difficulty of detecting potential misuse as teachers have limited interaction with the learner.

What is AI misuse?

With the increasing use and availability of AI tools, teachers must be increasingly vigilant when reviewing work by private candidates. 

The JCQ guidance for AI use in assessment outlines the following as examples as AI misuse: 

• Copying or paraphrasing sections of AI-generated content so that the work submitted for assessment is no longer the student’s own. 
• Copying or paraphrasing whole responses of AI-generated content. 
• Using AI to complete parts of the assessment so that the work does not reflect the student’s own work, analysis, evaluation or calculations.
• Failing to acknowledge use of AI tools when they have been used as a source of information. 
• Incomplete or poor acknowledgement of AI tools. 
• Submitting work with intentionally incomplete or misleading references or bibliographies.

What can you do?

While private candidates can present additional challenges to authentication, there are practical steps you can take to ensure the authentication of learners’ work and reduce the risk of AI misuse. You may need to draw on several of the strategies below depending on the learner and qualification. 

• Make the rules on AI use clear to the learner before accepting them as a private candidate. 
• Schedule regular check-ins with the learner to review progress of their work and check their understanding. 
• Familiarise yourself with common signs of AI use. 
• If possible, work with other teachers within your school to compare a broad selection of the learners work across different subjects. 
• Use AI detection software as a starting point, but beware of software limitations. 
• Refer to your school policy on the use of AI.

Next steps

Supporting private candidates in qualifications with NEA requires careful planning, clear communication and clear procedures, particularly in the context of AI. By understanding the risks and implementing proactive measures, you can help ensure that learners’ work can be confidently authenticated. For further support we encourage you to review our subject specific AI blogs; these blogs provide an overview on acceptable uses of AI within a qualification. Search for your subject from the main blog listing page. 

Review our AI use in assessment page for more training and support on the use of AI in assessment. 

Review the JCQ AI support page for guidance and resources. 

If you suspect that a learner has misused AI you must follow the JCQ guidance on reporting potential malpractice.

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About the author

Before joining OCR in September 2021, Connor worked as a head of Computing in Cambridgeshire. Prior to teaching, he studied Computer Games Development at the University of Bedfordshire. Outside of work, Connor is a keen golfer, avid tech head and music enthusiast.