The New South Wales government has announced new rules to tackle the increasing use of AI by students, limiting schools to one take-home HSC assessment worth no more than 15 per cent of the total school-based assessment.
Currently, school-based assessments make up 50 per cent of the HSC, with schools determining how much of that is based on take-home work.
The new limit comes after Prue Carr, Minister for Education and Early Learning, requested advice from the NSW Education Standards Authority to examine how to protect the learning process while AI tools filter into all aspects of daily life, including education.
Major works for the HSC are not included under the restrictions, and schools must still authenticate students’ work.
“School communities are concerned about the tide of AI technology impacting our classrooms, which is undermining learning, thinking, creativity, and hard work,” Carr said in a September 21 statement.
“NSW is leading the nation in our response to AI in schools, and mitigating risks to the HSC is a critical first step to deal with the rapid intrusion of AI into our learning and brain development.
“The message this sends to schools and communities more broadly is that we are committed to protecting the teaching and learning happening in schools.
“When students outsource their learning – whether that is to tutors, classmates, or artificial intelligence – they are missing out on the rigorous, high-quality education they need to set themselves up for the future.”
NSW Education Standards Authority CEO Paul Martin added that the measures should be seen as an important starting point while NESA considers further, more subject-specific advice for the department.
“Generative AI may offer students a short-cut to complex school work, but it bypasses the opportunity to build knowledge and learning,” Martin said.
“It is not an overstatement to say the consequences of that could be severe over time.
“We have a moral obligation to the students and teachers of NSW to protect the learning process, the integrity of assessments, and to maintain confidence in the HSC credential.”
The new limit will apply for the Class of 2027 as well as students beginning Year 11 in Term 1, 2027.
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