NCFE supports the overall approach taken in this guidance. Learners must submit work which is their own, and that submitting work which is not their own, and/or which shows other artificial intelligence (AI) misuse, will be investigated for potential malpractice and could result in disqualification from an assessment, or qualification overall.
There are some NCFE external assessments, such as T Level Employer Set Project (ESP) and OS assessments, or CACHE Level 3 extended response essays, which allow access to the internet for some or all parts of the assessment (see specific qualification or assessment guidance for confirmation of which external assessments allow internet access).
For these assessments, your learners must be aware of the expectations and risks of AI use, and understand that where internet access is allowed, this does not mean that online AI tools such as ChatGPT can or should be used.
Learners must submit work which is the product of their independent work and thinking (see AI misuse page), which means they cannot generate, copy, or paraphrase AI generated content, or use AI to analyse or evaluate their work.
If learners do use AI within their assessment response, it must be clearly acknowledged, with clear reference to what was used and how.
Our examiners are trained to identify and escalate potential cases of AI misuse as part of external standardisation, and investigation may include reviewing other examples of learner work to identify possible and misuse of AI may constitute plagiarism, making a false declaration of authenticity, and malpractice which may result in disqualification. You must ensure your learners are aware of the risks of AI misuse, and guard against this to avoid possible disqualification this coming summer series.
