Overview
- The request from NSW Education Minister Prue Car to the NSW Education Standards Authority asks for an interim ban on unsupervised take-home Higher School Certificate tasks and asks for a broader review of generative AI’s impact on student learning.
- NESA has recorded a steep rise in AI‑related cheating, with reporting that 1,270 HSC assessment misconduct cases were logged in 2025 and most involved take-home tasks.
- The moratorium is described as temporary, could begin as soon as next term for current year 11s, and is expected to allow exceptions for subjects that require major projects such as art and technology.
- Many schools have already tightened procedures by adding draft checkpoints, oral viva voce, and checks of digital footprints to verify that submitted work is genuinely student‑authored.
- The move has opened a policy split: state leaders say safeguards are needed to protect long‑term learning and the HSC credential, while the federal education minister has argued generative AI should be integrated as an educational tool.