What is Full Subject Based Banding | FullSBB SEC Coursework and Generative AI: What Can Students Use and Acknowledge?

Is generative AI automatically banned for every school task?

No single statement should be applied to every classroom activity. A teacher may permit students to use AI for brainstorming, language feedback or exploring a concept in a formative task. Another assessment may require work to be completed independently without AI assistance. The task instructions determine what is permitted.

For national examination work, SEAB’s published candidate rules state that candidates must not plagiarise or submit work that is not their own effort, and identify unacknowledged sources from generative AI tools as an example. Subject syllabuses may provide further directions for coursework or project work.

Before using AI, ask whether the task permits it, what uses are allowed, whether the tool’s contribution must be declared and what parts must be completed independently.

What counts as submitting AI work as your own?

Examples include asking a chatbot to write an essay and submitting it under the student’s name, copying AI-generated explanations into a coursework report without acknowledgement, or using generated analysis as though the student had independently carried it out.

Changing a few words, translating the output or rearranging paragraphs does not automatically make the work original. The student remains responsible for the accuracy, reasoning and authorship of what is submitted.

Where AI use is permitted, the student should be able to explain the work, identify which parts were assisted and acknowledge the tool in the format specified by the teacher or syllabus. If AI use is not permitted, do not use it for the assessed response.

Can students use AI to brainstorm or plan?

Some tasks permit limited brainstorming or planning support, but students must check before doing so. A tool may suggest possible angles, outline headings or generate practice questions. That does not mean the student can submit generated arguments or evidence as their own final work.

A safe approach for a permitted brainstorming task is to record what the student asked the tool, evaluate the suggestions, verify any factual claims against reliable sources and write the final response independently. Keep the student’s own notes and drafts where the assessment requires evidence of process.

Never invent a declaration. If AI was used, state accurately what it did and follow the teacher’s instructions.

Can AI proofread grammar or improve vocabulary?

Whether proofreading is allowed depends on the task. In some formative work, a teacher may permit spelling or grammar feedback. In a language examination or writing assessment designed to test the candidate’s independent language ability, AI rewriting can undermine the skill being assessed.

There is a difference between asking a tool to identify a possible spelling error and asking it to rewrite every sentence into polished language. If the task assesses the student’s own expression, the latter may amount to unauthorised assistance.

Students should learn to revise their own writing: check subject–verb agreement, tense, sentence clarity, paragraph progression and word choice. Use teacher-approved feedback to build the student’s skill rather than hide the student’s current ability.

AI-generated references and false facts

AI systems can produce references that do not exist, attribute claims to the wrong source or summarise a source inaccurately. A bibliography containing invented titles or links is not reliable evidence of research.

Verify every source independently. Open the original document, check the author and date, locate the specific claim and record the page or section where it appears. If a source cannot be found, do not cite it.

A student remains responsible for the factual accuracy of submitted work, even when a digital tool suggested the wording or source.

What should an acknowledgement say?

There is no one universal declaration format for every school task. Follow the subject teacher’s or syllabus’s required method. A useful declaration may identify the tool, the purpose of use and the parts of the process it supported—for example, brainstorming an outline or checking grammar—provided that this accurately describes what happened.

Do not write “AI was used for research” if the tool actually generated the whole essay. Do not say “no AI used” when it was used. If the task requires a bibliography, include the tool or source in the prescribed format.

When unsure, ask the teacher before submission. It is easier to clarify permitted use before a deadline than to explain an undisclosed contribution afterwards.

How parents and tutors can help without doing the work

Parents and tutors can teach concepts, ask questions, explain feedback and help students check instructions. They should not secretly generate or rewrite assessed work that the student is required to complete independently.

A tutor can ask the student to explain an argument, locate evidence, compare two interpretations or identify the weakness in a draft. This builds learning. Replacing the student’s ideas with a finished AI-generated response does not.

Keep the student’s own drafts and working notes. They help the student learn and can clarify the process if a teacher asks how the work was developed.

A simple responsible-AI checklist

1. Read the assessment instructions before opening an AI tool.
2. Ask the teacher whether the proposed use is permitted.
3. Use AI only for the allowed purpose.
4. Verify all factual claims and references.
5. Write and reason independently where required.
6. Acknowledge permitted assistance honestly.
7. Keep drafts or process notes when requested.

Frequently asked questions

Can I ask AI to write my SEC coursework?

Not where the task requires your own work. SEAB rules prohibit plagiarism and unauthorised submission of work that is not your own effort.

Can I use AI for brainstorming?

Only if the task instructions or teacher permit it, and you acknowledge it if required.

Is changing AI wording enough to make it mine?

No. The student must produce the required original thinking and acknowledge sources or assistance.

Can AI help with grammar?

Only where permitted. It may compromise a task designed to assess independent language ability.

What if AI gives a fake source?

Verify every reference against the original source and do not cite material you cannot confirm.

Official sources and related eduKate reading

Sources checked 11 November 2026. The detailed examination conduct rule cited below is from SEAB’s published GCE candidate rules. For each SEC subject, use the actual syllabus and coursework instructions.

• SEAB — Examination Rules and Regulations: plagiarism, own effort and acknowledgement of generative AI sources
• SEAB — SEC subject syllabuses and examination standards
• SEAB — example of subject-specific coursework rules on responsible AI use and acknowledgement (GCE A-Level syllabus example)

Related eduKate guides: MTL arrangements and official documentation, examination malpractice, and parent–teacher questions about learning and work.

SEC 2027 note: Where this guide discusses a currently published GCE candidate rule, it identifies that scope. Candidates must follow the final SEC-specific Examination Rules and Regulations, syllabus and school instructions issued for their own examination year. Do not assume an older document overrides a later SEC notice.