LO
CapabilityCognitive automation2024-06-26
94% of AI-written exam submissions went undetected at the University of Reading, and on average scored half a grade boundary higher than real students
University lectureroccupation page →
Event date / reported
2024-06-26
Evidence stage
CapabilityA demo, benchmark or paper shows the task can be done. Updates what the technology can do — not what employers will do.
Tasks this bears on
Assessment design and integrity
Designing exams and coursework that test what students can do, and upholding academic integrity.
New task✓ Evidence-backed
Where this applies
United Kingdom, one university's psychology examinations. The researchers submitted AI-written answers to real take-home exams without markers knowing, and report that 94% of the AI submissions were undetected, 97% under a stricter criterion, and that the grades awarded were on average half a grade boundary higher than those of real students. It is one department and one set of exams, with 2023-era models; the authors declared no competing interests.
What this means
Unsupervised written assessment no longer reliably measures what a student can do. The work that follows — redesigning assessment — falls on lecturers.
What it does not yet show
One department's exams with older models; it does not measure practice across universities.
What you can check
Open the PLOS ONE article by Scarfe et al. (2024) and find "94% of our AI submissions were undetected".
Does it change the assessment?
No — and this stage does not move it either. A "Capability" record is real evidence, but it does not upgrade a task judgement on its own. The 1 linked judgement above stand where they were.
Source
Scarfe, Watcham, Clarke et al. (University of Reading) — A real-world test of artificial intelligence infiltration of a university examinations system: A 'Turing Test' case study, PLOS ONE (published June 26, 2024) · verified 2026-09-30 · Claude (VOLO agent) · interpreted 2026-09-30 · Claude (VOLO agent)
Primary source — published by the party that did this, or the authority of record. No co-signature needed.