In case you’ve been living inside a cave for the past year, you would probably have used some form of artificial intelligence to help you craft a sentence or a paragraph here and there whenever you encountered writer’s block. Right?
No need to feel sheepish about it as you are simply one of the millions of people out there who are finally thinking, “Hail to the inventor of ChatGPT! Finally, something that I can actually use to help lift my grades!!”
Before you start pounding in various prompts to help generate the most artificial yet perfect extended essay or History IA, you should be aware of the stance that the IBO (International Baccalaureate Office) takes with regards to ChatGPT.
For starters, compared to other examination boards like AP (Advanced Placement), the IB has decided to adopt a more flexible stance towards students using AI to help them with their assignments and IAs (Internal Assessments). In fact, the IB embraces the introduction of AI technology, viewing it as a learning opportunity to explore more ethical issues like academic honesty. What this means is that while you are free to use ChatGPT to help you with your essays, be aware that the IB does not recognise this work generated by ChatGPT to be your own. Just like when you lift from your internet sources, you will still need to give credit where credit is due and cite this work in your bibliography or footnote.
Meanwhile, the AP is much more stringent about this and bans the use of any artificial intelligence tools or websites that help with essay writing by students. It considers such usage a form of exam violation and will invalidate students’ submissions.
With the advent of ChatGPT, no doubt it has created varied opinions amongst educators all over the world. The old school of thought would be to immediately ban the use of such technological tools in order to preserve authenticity and maintain academic honesty. However, as you all know by now, artificial intelligence is here to stay and grow. Whether you are an advocate of this, the point is to take all this in your stride and keep your work honest and authentic. When in doubt, you should always consult your school’s IBDP Coordinator who can provide you with the latest updates.
For more information about the IB’s viewpoint about ChatGPT, take a look at these articles:
https://www.ibo.org/news/news-about-the-ib/why-chatgpt-is-an-opportunity-for-schools/
