Overview
- ACARA's 2025 national ICT assessment found just 50% of Year 6 students and 37% of Year 10 students reached the proficient standard, the lowest results since testing began in 2005.
- Queensland performed worst among mainland states, with about two-thirds of Year 10 students below the national benchmark and a steady decline in proficiency across test cycles.
- Roughly 60% of Year 10 students said they used generative AI at least once a month and about one in four used it frequently for schoolwork, yet only 66% of Year 10 and 50% of Year 6 students reported being taught how to judge AI outputs at school.
- Education authorities and some schools have started programs to teach AI and digital literacy, including a Queensland rollout and school research teams, but experts warn these steps may not yet build the critical-evaluation skills students lack.
- ACARA tested thousands of students on real-world tasks such as evaluating online information, creating digital documents and coding, and the results show near-universal device access has not translated into stronger ICT proficiency, raising concerns about cheating, learning gaps and international competitiveness.