Thursday 27-11-2025 - 12:00

As assessments approach, many students turn to digital tools for support. While apps like Grammarly can help with spelling and grammar, it is important to understand where the line is drawn between acceptable assistance and academic misconduct. Using generative AI tools without permission is considered plagiarism and can lead to serious academic penalties.

The good news is that some tools are perfectly fine to use. Grammarly’s basic spelling and grammar checker is approved for all assessments and doesn’t need to be declared. It’s great for catching typos or tidying up your writing before you hand it in.

Where you need to be careful is with Grammarly’s “AI writing assistant” or other generative AI tools that can write or reword text for you. Whether you can use these depends on your specific assessment. Every assignment at QMU comes with guidance explaining what level of AI use is allowed, ranging from no AI at all to limited or full use. Always check your assessment brief before using any generative tool.

If you are allowed to use AI, you must declare it in your work. For example: “In this assessment, I used Grammarly Generative AI Writing Assistant to help plan my essay.”

If you are ever unsure, always ask your module leader or contact the Effective Learning Service before using AI tools. The safest approach is to check your assessment information carefully and follow university guidance.