Skip to main content

A student used ChatGPT to get top grades on a college essay

A student who typically gets much lower grades admitted to using ChatGPT to achieve a top score on a college essay, according to BBC News.

The student from Cardiff University in Wales chose to go by the pseudonym “Tom” to protect his identity and told the publication that he conducted an experiment while submitting essays during the school’s January assessment period. He submitted one 2,500-word essay written completely on his own and one with the assistance of the AI chatbot, ChatGPT to see what results he would yield.

A MacBook Pro on a desk with ChatGPT's website showing on its display.
Hatice Baran / Unsplash

Tom is used to receiving an average grade of 2.1, and he got his typical grade on the essay he wrote himself, but he was surprised to see he got the highest score of his college career on the essay he submitted with the help of ChatGPT. He claims the essay was not generated word-for-word, but rather he used the chatbot to gain access to more quality information. He also admitted he planned to use his ChatGPT strategy in the future.

Another Cardiff University student referred to as “John” told BBC News he was glad that he was able to take advantage of ChatGPT in his final year of school before the of use AI for plagiarism purposes could potentially affect the legitimacy of his degree in the future. With that being said, he told the publication he was certain that the use of AI in his work was undetectable.

While ChatGPT is not banned in U.K. schools, Cardiff University has admitted to being aware of the plagiarism claims going on at its campus. Additionally, there was a Freedom of Information assessment done at the university in January that determined there were 14,443 visits to the ChatGPT site on the campus Wi-Fi networks, compared to zero hits in December 2022, according to BBC News.

Some schools in the U.S. quickly pushed to have ChatGPT blocked from being used on campuses after the chatbot became an internet phenomenon when it launched in November 2022. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t several loopholes that students can exploit, such as accessing it through a VPN, accessing it off campus, or accessing it through a smartphone or tablet.

Prior to the ban, students have been caught using ChatGPT to plagiarize essays word-for-word and were punished accordingly. One processor was able to catch a student using simple plagiarism detection software. He noted that as the language model on which ChatGPT is made is updated, plagiarism can become harder to discern.

Editors' Recommendations

Fionna Agomuoh
Fionna Agomuoh is a technology journalist with over a decade of experience writing about various consumer electronics topics…
We may have just learned how Apple will compete with ChatGPT
An iPhone on a table with the Siri activation animation playing on the screen.

As we approach Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, the rumor mill has been abuzz with claims over Apple’s future artificial intelligence (AI) plans. Well, there have just been a couple of major developments that shed some light on what Apple could eventually reveal to the world, and you might be surprised at what Apple is apparently working on.

According to Bloomberg, Apple is in talks with Google to infuse its Gemini generative AI tool into Apple’s systems and has also considered enlisting ChatGPT’s help instead. The move with Google has the potential to completely change how the Mac, iPhone, and other Apple devices work on a day-to-day basis, but it could come under severe regulatory scrutiny.

Read more
Copilot: how to use Microsoft’s own version of ChatGPT
Microsoft's AI Copilot being used in various Microsoft Office apps.

ChatGPT isn’t the only AI chatbot in town. One direct competitor is Microsoft’s Copilot (formerly Bing Chat), and if you’ve never used it before, you should definitely give it a try. As part of a greater suite of Microsoft tools, Copilot can be integrated into your smartphone, tablet, and desktop experience, thanks to a Copilot sidebar in Microsoft Edge. 

Like any good AI chatbot, Copilot’s abilities are constantly evolving, so you can always expect something new from this generative learning professional. Today though, we’re giving a crash course on where to find Copilot, how to download it, and how you can use the amazing bot. 
How to get Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft Copilot comes to Bing and Edge. Microsoft

Read more
How to use Google Gemini, the main challenger to ChatGPT
The Google Gemini AI logo.

Google's Gemini AI chatbot has quickly become one of the major players in the generative AI space. Despite its rocky start, Gemini is one of the only true competitors to ChatGPT. Here's everything you need to know about it.
What is Google Gemini?
Google first introduced its AI endeavor as Bard in March 2023 in a free and experimental capacity. The chatbot was originally run on the LaMDA large language model (LLM).

In August 2023, it introduced Google Duet as an enterprise option featuring AI-inundated Workspace apps, including Gmail, Drive, Slides, Docs, and others.

Read more