“Can we use AI for this assignment?” Students deserve an answer that tells them what they can actually do. “Use it responsibly” leaves too much open to interpretation. One student might ask a chatbot to explain an unfamiliar term, while another uses it to write the response. Both may believe they are following the instructions.
An assignment AI-permission scale helps teachers make those boundaries visible. It explains which uses are allowed, which parts students must complete themselves, and what they need to disclose when submitting their work.
I recommend placing this information directly on the assignment sheet. A course policy provides the general expectations, but students also need guidance for the task in front of them.
What Is an Assignment AI-Permission Scale?
An assignment AI-permission scale describes how students may use generative AI during a particular task. The appropriate permission depends on what the assignment is meant to assess.
If students are learning to develop an argument, allowing AI to generate that argument may remove the thinking you need to see. If students are evaluating arguments, an AI-generated response could provide useful material for critique.
An established resource in this area is the AI Assessment Scale, developed by Mike Perkins, Jasper Roe, Leon Furze, and Jason MacVaugh. It connects decisions about AI use with assessment goals.
The classroom examples below offer a practical permission guide for assignment sheets. They use their own categories and wording rather than reproduce that framework.
A Five-Level Assignment AI-Permission Guide
| Level | Permission | What students may do | What remains student work |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Complete without generative AI | Use the resources and supports specified by the teacher | The thinking and production being assessed |
| 2 | Use AI for preparation | Explore a topic, clarify concepts, or brainstorm within stated limits | The plan, response, and final submission |
| 3 | Use AI for feedback | Request comments on a student-created draft or solution | The initial work, revision decisions, and final response |
| 4 | Use AI for specified components | Generate or revise the particular elements named in the instructions | The components and decisions reserved for the student |
| 5 | Use AI throughout the task | Integrate AI across planning, production, and revision | Direction, verification, justification, and responsibility for the submission |
These levels describe permissions, not achievement. Level 5 is not automatically a better learning experience than Level 1. Choose the permission that lets you assess the intended learning.
Related: AI Disclosure Statement Examples for Students
Level 1: Complete Without Generative AI
Use this option when you need evidence of what students can do without generative assistance.
Examples include writing an initial response to a text, solving a mathematical problem, or developing an explanation from class materials.
Assignment statement:
Complete this assignment without generative AI. Develop the ideas, reasoning, and response yourself using the resources listed below. Continue to use your approved accessibility supports. Ask me before beginning if you are unsure whether a tool or feature is permitted.
Be specific about resources. Students should know whether dictionaries, spellcheck, translation tools, calculators, or other supports are allowed. Address approved accommodations through the appropriate school process.
Level 2: Use AI for Preparation
This option permits limited help before students develop their own work.
For example, students might ask AI to explain a concept or suggest questions about a topic. They then return to assigned readings and verified sources to build their response.
Assignment statement:
You may use AI to clarify unfamiliar concepts and brainstorm possible questions before you begin. Create your own outline and write the submission yourself. Do not use AI to generate or rewrite passages for submission. Briefly describe any AI assistance you used.
Check that preparation is not itself the main skill being assessed. If students must demonstrate that they can independently generate research questions, allowing AI to supply those questions would change the evidence you collect.
Level 3: Use AI for Feedback
Students first produce their own work, then use AI to identify possible weaknesses or suggest areas for improvement.
A student might ask whether an argument contains an unsupported claim or whether an explanation is missing a step.
Assignment statement:
Create your first draft independently. You may then ask an approved AI tool for feedback on clarity, organization, or reasoning. Do not ask it to rewrite the assignment. Submit your original draft, your revision, and a short explanation of one suggestion you accepted or rejected.
A useful prompt is:
Read my draft and identify two places where my reasoning needs more explanation. Ask questions that help me revise. Do not rewrite the text.
Only upload student work through tools and processes approved by your school.
Level 4: Use AI for Specified Components
Some assignments allow AI for one component while reserving other work for the student.
For example, students could generate a counterargument with AI, then evaluate its assumptions and evidence themselves.
Assignment statement:
You may use AI to generate one counterargument to your position. You must independently evaluate that counterargument, check its claims, and write your response. Include the AI-generated counterargument and identify the tool you used.
Name the permitted component precisely. “AI assistance allowed” does not tell students whether they can generate an introduction, translate a passage, write code, or produce the entire submission.
Level 5: Use AI Throughout the Task
This option suits assignments in which directing, evaluating, and improving AI-supported work are central to the learning.
For example, students might develop a public information resource using AI, verify its claims, compare alternative versions, and explain their editorial decisions.
Assignment statement:
You may use approved AI tools throughout this assignment. You are responsible for checking claims, selecting appropriate sources, and explaining your decisions. Submit the final product with a short account of how you used AI, what you changed, and why.
The assessment needs to make those decisions visible. A polished product alone may provide limited evidence of the student’s understanding.
Add These Details to Every Assignment
A permission level becomes useful when it is accompanied by concrete instructions. Include:
- The purpose: What learning should students demonstrate?
- Permitted uses: What may AI help with?
- Boundaries: What must students do themselves?
- Disclosure: What should students report about their use?
- Evidence: What drafts, annotations, explanations, or demonstrations should they submit?
Keep evidence requirements proportionate. A short feedback task may need only a brief explanation of revisions. A substantial AI-supported project may need selected examples and a discussion of important decisions.
A Copy-and-Paste Assignment Template
AI permission for this assignment:
[Insert the permission level and description.]You may use AI to:
[List permitted uses.]You must complete these parts yourself:
[Identify the thinking and production being assessed.]Use only these approved tools:
[List tools or explain the approval process.]When submitting, include:
[Specify disclosure and process evidence.]If access is a problem or you are unsure about a use:
Speak with me before beginning so we can clarify expectations or arrange an appropriate alternative.
Explain the Boundary Before Students Begin
Walk through a few examples with the class. Is asking for feedback permitted? What about accepting a rewritten paragraph? Can students use AI to explain the reading they are expected to interpret themselves?
These conversations help reveal ambiguities in the instructions. They also give you an opportunity to explain why a particular boundary matters.
The aim is to help students understand how AI assistance relates to the work they are learning to do. Clear permissions make that relationship easier to discuss, practise, and assess.
