Assessment

Navigate the challenge of assessing students fairly in the age of AI with practical strategies for the English classroom. This chapter addresses teachers’ concerns about AI cheating and plagiarism detection, offering solutions that focus on process-based assessment rather than just final products. Learn how to design AI-resistant tasks, assess AI chat transcripts, use process logs and verbal assessment to verify understanding, and create AI usage agreements with students. Essential guidance for maintaining assessment integrity in GCSE, A-level, and coursework while preparing students to use AI ethically in their future studies and careers. The chapter argues that effective response requires a fundamental shift from evaluating the final product (e.g., the five-paragraph essay) to evaluating the process and durable human skills. It explores strategies for designing AI-resistant tasks by focusing on multi-step projects and multi-modal output. Core recommended practices include establishing AI Usage Agreements, assessing the AI Chat Transcript to gauge the depth of student engagement and AI Literacy, and utilizing Process Logs and Verbal Assessment to confirm genuine understanding. The chapter concludes by examining the ethical dilemmas of AI Marking and advocating that assessment must prioritize human-centred skills – critical thinking, creativity, and metacognition – to maintain validity and authenticity.