The NSW Government unveils AI-focused reforms to protect student learning by limiting take-home assessments in the HSC to a single task worth 15% of the school-based component (or 7.5% of the total HSC mark).

Education Minister Prue Car emphasizes the policy safeguards learning, thinking, creativity, and hard work, defending the quality of the HSC credential in the face of AI-enabled shortcuts.

Education Minister Car and NSW Education Standards Authority CEO Paul Martin stress that AI can offer shortcuts but threatens knowledge-building and assessment accuracy, prompting a 2026 response.

Some subjects with major works, including visual art, industrial technology, and English Extension 2, are exempt from the restrictions and will proceed with authentication and typical assessment paths.

Major works linked to certain courses are exempt from take-home restrictions, though overall integrity and authentication remain required.

The policy allows a mix of assessment types—exams, oral tasks, and process diaries—tailored to each course to balance integrity with diverse methods.

Educators will rely on professional judgment to determine if a student’s writing reflects genuine thinking and learning rather than merely detecting AI usage.

NESA advises against relying on AI-detection tools as the sole safeguard; if used, detection should be one input among teacher review.

Research supports using disciplinary literacy frameworks to recognize evidence of learning in student writing beyond surface features.

Concerns about detection tools include unreliability and bias against EAL learners, reinforcing the move away from overreliance on AI-detection.

A May 2026 Learning First study found about half of NSW secondary teachers report students using AI for schoolwork, with strong concerns about AI-enabled cheating and plagiarism.

A government-ordered review into AI in schools, started in August, will examine cognitive development and how to assess student abilities in the AI era.