A-level and GCSE coursework to face 'far more scrutiny' to stop AI undermining 'genuine human endeavour'

By ELEANOR HARDING, EDUCATION EDITOR Published: 00:01, 3 July 2026 | Updated: 00:01, 3 July 2026 Written coursework will in future face 'far more scrutiny' to stop artificial intelligence undermining 'genuine human endeavour', according to the exams watchdog. Sir Ian Bauckham, Chief Regulator at Ofqual, will say today that Labour's flagship A-level and GCSE reforms will need to safeguard against 'AI fraud'. He will say any 'extended writing coursework' will be subject to enhanced checks because it is 'especially vulnerable' to 'cheating'. It comes as the Government works with Ofqual to redesign these qualifications, following the Curriculum and Assessment Review, which concluded last year. From 2029 onwards, there will be new content, new subjects and, at GCSE level, less time spent in exams. In addition, the Government is rolling out new V levels – vocational qualifications – from 2027. In a speech at the Festival of Education at Wellington College today (Fri), Sir Ian will say: 'As we design new qualifications for 16-18 year olds, and reform existing ones, expect to see far, far more scrutiny of any proposals for written coursework. 'For the qualifications to be worth more than the paper they are written on, we cannot normalise the idea that AI-generated output is a substitute for genuine human endeavour.' Written coursework will in future face 'far more scrutiny' to stop artificial intelligence undermining 'genuine human endeavour', according to the exams watchdog (pictured: Sir Ian Bauckham, Chief Regulator at Ofqual) Sir Ian will say he 'begs to differ' that allowing students to use AI for assessment is 'marvellous'. He will say many universities, for example UCL Law School in London, are now making more use of in-person invigilated exams to 'AI‑proof' their assessments. 'Offloading student thinking to AI does not develop the human mind,' he will say. 'It leads ultimately to less learning, less satisfaction, less usefulness in the workplace, and ultimately is a covert assault on the realisation of human potential.' Sir Ian believes combatting the threat of AI is crucial to maintaining England's qualifications system as a 'national asset', which is respected worldwide. And he will reject the idea that today's children will not need qualifications in future because 'AI will be able to do everything anyway'. 'Of course the workplace of the future will be AI enabled,' he will say. 'But that doesn't mean humans will be needed any less. Sir Ian Bauckham, Chief Regulator at Ofqual, will say today that Labour's flagship A-level and GCSE reforms will need to safeguard against 'AI fraud' (file picture) 'The future workforce will need higher-level expertise to augment and add value to AI. 'Specialised knowledge and finely balanced judgement will be central to that. 'We won't need less education, we will need more of it, and we will need qualifications to frame it.' It comes after a poll by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) think tank this year of 1,000 university students found 95 per cent admitted to using AI tools such as ChatGPT when completing assessments. In addition, 12 per cent said they even use AI to generate text for submission – up from 8 per cent in 2025 and 3 per cent in 2024. And while almost 49 per cent said AI has improved their student experience, 16 per cent felt it had made it worse. Many said it was impacting on their skills and learning, with one respondent complaining: 'It is making us all lazy.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.