BNDS AI Policy
This is a school-wide policy, from the A-Level Student Guide 2025-26 §VI (pp.22–24), within the Academic Honesty Policy. It applies to every course.
Rather than a blanket permit-or-ban, it defines six graded levels. Each assignment declares which level applies.
The six levels (Guide pp.23–24)
| Level | Name | What is allowed |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Human-Only Work | You produce everything without AI help. No disclosure required |
| 1 | AI for Ideation | AI only to clarify the task, surface key terms, or map existing knowledge — not to generate fresh concepts. You still do your own brainstorming. Typical: definitions, locating foundational references, checking feasibility, keyword lists for literature searches |
| 2 | AI for Structuring | Level 1 + AI organizes material — outlines, templates, flowcharts. No full paragraphs, code blocks, calculations or images generated |
| 3 | AI for Refinement | Levels 1–2 + AI edits or polishes your draft: grammar, style, citation format, code linting. Keep a before-and-after or tracked-changes file showing what you accepted |
| 4 | AI Co-Creation | Levels 1–3 + you and AI share the labor. Substantial parts AI-generated or transformed, then shaped by you. Track who did what and cite the model and version |
| 5 | AI-Generated for Review | Levels 1–4 + the whole piece is AI-produced, submitted only so humans can critique or annotate it. Label it “AI-generated”; grading focuses on your analysis, not the AI text |
Always check the AI Level for each assignment
Some assignments ban AI entirely — the handbook names exams and personal reflections — and others actively encourage it.
Attribution requirements (Guide p.22)
Whenever you use AI, you must:
- Cite the tool — e.g. “Generated with assistance from [AI Tool Name]”
- Explain how it was used — e.g. “Used for brainstorming but all analysis is my own”
- Cite the prompt you used
Your instructor may additionally require a disclaimer or a reflection on AI use.
Permitted and prohibited (Guide p.22)
Permitted: assisting learning (brainstorming, clarifying concepts, summarizing readings, generating practice questions); enhancing productivity (grammar checks, citation formatting, organizing research); encouraging creativity (AI output as a starting point for original work, with attribution); developing digital literacy.
Prohibited: submitting AI-generated work as your own without citation or permission; using AI to replace independent analysis, original thought or personal reflection unless explicitly allowed; spreading unverified AI content — you must verify AI-generated content for accuracy.
Misuse follows the Academic Honesty Policy: resubmission, grade penalties, or disciplinary action (Guide p.23).
The Art & Design worked example (Guide p.24)
- Level 1 — AI summarizes Bauhaus colour theory so you can plan palette experiments
- Level 2 — AI offers a clean portfolio layout grid (page order, caption placeholders, margins) that you fill with original work
- Level 3 — AI polishes the grammar of an artist statement and reorganizes paragraphs for flow
- Level 4 — Midjourney, Stable Diffusion or similar generates an image that you then collage, annotate and contextualize, detailing the AI’s role in the process
⚠ Where school policy meets exam-board policy
These are separate regimes, and the exam board is the stricter authority on assessed work. Both must be satisfied.
| Position | |
|---|---|
| BNDS | Six levels; Level 4 co-creation explicitly permitted, including generated images in Art & Design, with attribution |
| Cambridge 9479 (2028-30) | AI-generated images permitted only with your own role demonstrated and justified — see a-level-art-design |
| Cambridge 9607 (2027) | “Cambridge International has a policy on the use of generative AI by candidates in coursework. The inappropriate use of AI should be treated as a form of plagiarism” (Syllabus 2027 p.30). The 2027 spec does not otherwise address AI; the 2028-30 spec permits it with documented prompts and justification |
The practical rule for coursework: BNDS Level 4 may be permissible for classroom tasks, but anything going to Cambridge as assessed coursework is governed by the syllabus for the exam year. Where they differ, the syllabus wins — and the handbook’s attribution requirements (cite the tool, explain the use, cite the prompt) are exactly what the 2028-30 Art & Design spec asks for, so satisfying BNDS properly also satisfies Cambridge.
This is the 2025-26 edition of the handbook.