How Should Teachers Respond When an Essay Looks AI-Written?

Published on 23 October 2026

When an essay looks AI-written, do not start with an accusation. Start with a conversation: ask the learner to talk you through their argument, a word they used or a source they cited. An AI-writing estimate, from any tool, is a reason to look more closely, not proof. Your knowledge of the learner and a short talk are far more reliable.

Most of us have now marked at least one essay that felt too smooth, too general or simply not in the learner's voice. The question is what to do next, in a way that is fair to the learner and protects the value of the work.

How can I tell if an essay was written with AI?

You cannot tell for certain from the text alone, and neither can any software. What you can notice are signals:

• The voice is very different from the learner's earlier work or class writing.
• The essay is fluent but general, with few concrete examples from your lessons or texts.
• It answers a slightly different question from the one you set.
• References are vague, or name sources that do not seem to exist.
• The learner struggles to explain a key term from their own essay.

None of these proves anything by itself. Strong writers can be fluent. Learners writing in English as an additional language may have used a translation or grammar tool, which is a different matter from having an essay written for them. Keep that distinction in mind in a country where so many learners write in a language that is not their home language.

What does an AI-writing estimate actually tell me?

An estimate gives you a probability-style signal that a text resembles machine-generated writing. It can be wrong in both directions. It can flag a careful, formal writer, and it can miss text that was generated and then edited.

So use it like a smoke alarm. It tells you where to look, not what happened. Never put a zero on a paper because of an estimate alone.

How do I talk to a learner about suspected AI use?

Keep it private, calm and curious. A useful script:

1. "I'd like to hear more about how you wrote this."
2. "Can you explain this paragraph in your own words?"
3. "What made you choose this example?"
4. "What would you change if you wrote it again?"

A learner who wrote the essay can usually answer easily, even if nervously. A learner who did not will often struggle with the simplest question. In either case, end with a clear next step: the mark stands, the learner rewrites a section in class, or the matter goes to your school's usual process.

How do I set tasks that need the learner's own voice?

Prevention is kinder than detection. Tasks that are hard to hand over to a chatbot tend to share a few features:

• Local and personal content. Ask for an example from their community, a class discussion or a text you read together.
• Visible process. Collect a plan or first paragraph in class before the full essay.
• Specific sources. Require them to quote and discuss two named passages from the set work.
• A short reflection. Two or three sentences on what they found difficult and how they solved it.

None of this is new teaching. It is good assignment design that also happens to make AI shortcuts less useful.

Should learners be allowed to use AI at all?

That is a decision for you and your school. Some teachers allow AI for brainstorming but not for drafting. Others ban it for assessed work and use it openly in class. Whatever you choose, say it clearly in the task instructions so learners know where the line is.

How does Korektor handle the AI-writing estimate?

Korektor grades written work against your rubric and can also give an estimate of AI-written text. By default, only the teacher sees that estimate, so it supports your judgement without labelling a learner in front of the class.

1. Create an assignment from a template (science report, composition or argumentative essay) or from scratch.
2. Enter the task, word range, deadline and your rubric criteria with points.
3. Under what the AI checks, switch on the estimate of AI-written text.
4. Under what the learner sees, decide whether to show the mark and whether to show the estimate. The default keeps the estimate for you only.
5. Share the link. Learners type their name and upload a file or photos of handwritten work, or paste the text.
6. In "received papers", read each result, look at any high estimates alongside the essay itself, and change the mark where you disagree.

South African schools generally report marks as percentages, and Korektor converts the rubric total into a percentage roughly in proportion. If the rubric is out of 40 and a learner earns 30, the suggested mark is about 75%. You have the last word on the final mark.

What matters most?

Trust built over a year is worth more than any single essay. Be clear about the rules, design tasks that invite the learner's own thinking, and treat every flag as the start of a conversation. If you want to see how a rubric-based grader with a private AI estimate fits your marking, the first three gradings are free at korektor.app/za.

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