The government has initiated a pilot program aimed at reducing expenses and the workload faced by educators, in an effort to leverage the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI).
The government has initiated a pilot program aimed at reducing expenses and the workload faced by educators, in an effort to leverage the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI).
New standardisation assessments for SATs moderators will feature questions crafted by artificial intelligence (AI) as part of a new governmental initiative aimed at cost reduction and alleviating school workloads.
The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) is executing the pilot with a goal to “leverage AI technology across the educational landscape.”Â
Moderators for Key Stage 2 must complete a standardisation process to confirm they possess the necessary expertise to evaluate teacher assessments in English writing.
In contrast to the SATs for mathematics and reading, the English writing assessments are graded by teachers, and local authorities are mandated to moderate 25 percent of assessments from maintained schools and academies.
Trial Aimed at Reducing Expenses
To gain approval, moderators are required to pass one of three standardisation assessments, with this year’s third test being created with the aid of AI.
The objective of the trial is to “investigate whether large language models (LLMs) can assist in addressing persistent difficulties with the generation of standardisation exercises, such as obtaining adequate writing samples from schools and lowering related expenses,” as stated by the government.
Since the academic year 2021-22, the Australian Council for Educational Research has developed these exercises using actual examples of work produced by Year 6 students.
However, the Department for Education highlighted that “gathering appropriate student writing samples is costly and increases the workload for educational institutions.”Â
This trial follows “18 months of research to understand how effectively LLMs can produce examples that accurately represent the writing capabilities of Year 6 students.”Â
To create the AI-generated tests, STA’s “expert assessment researcher will formulate prompts” in accordance with the teacher assessment framework to “produce preliminary student writing samples.”Â
Afterward, the agency will “edit and rigorously evaluate” these samples to “ensure they adhere to our criteria of accuracy, validity, and reliability” prior to their implementation in testing.
Local Authorities Can Choose Not to Participate
Local authorities have the option to “opt out of participation if there are reservations regarding the application of LLMs in material production.” In such cases, their moderators will complete alternative exercises.
Schools Week contacted the 15 largest councils in England to ascertain their involvement.
Out of those, four responded, and three confirmed their participation.
Kent, the largest local authority in England, employs approximately “60 moderators” each year who are educators in primary schools or serve as English subject leaders, and it reported that its assessments of AI-generated scripts indicated they were “reliable.”
Dr. Mick Walker, president of the Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors, expressed that allowing the AI assessments “as an optional extension to standard procedures” implies that it “does not endanger any students.”
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<p>“The inclusion of feedback presents an opportunity for moderators … to inform future developments.”</p>
<p>Any decisions following the trial will depend on the government’s response to the final report of the curriculum and assessment review panel.Â
<p>A FAQ document issued by the agency prior to the trial stated that the DfE’s “main strategy is to utilize AI technology throughout the educational sector.”Â
<p>Nonetheless, the agency clarified that it has “no intentions to employ AI for developing statutory national curriculum tests or assessments for primary students.”Â
<h3 class=” src=”https://schoolsweek.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Mick-Walker-inset-300px.jpg” title=”MickWalkerinset300px | Schools Week” width=”300″ wp-block-heading=””>The Inevitable Rise of AI
Duncan Baldwin, an education consultant, asserted that the integration of AI into educational processes would inevitably grow, particularly in tackling labor-intensive and costly tasks.
“AI can offer significant advantages for educators, school administrators, and the government alike.”
Schools Week disclosed last month that Ofsted inspectors had trialed AI to save time in note-taking during site visits.
However, the organization ultimately decided against broader implementation, believing that these tools created more burden than they alleviated in inspection processes.
The Department for Education also released AI toolkits for schools earlier this year, advising leaders to prepare for its “wider usage,” encompassing budget analysis and CPD planning.
Ofsted additionally revealed that it utilized AI to refine responses to its consultation on proposed report cards “to enhance efficiency,” noting that this approach is becoming “increasingly common across governmental operations.”
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