Only in limited, acknowledged ways. Cambridge allows AI for initial research and for brief quotation (about 50 words) with critical discussion, recorded with prompts, tool, version and date. Its 2026 Handbook bars online writing assistant tools in coursework, and teachers must not authenticate inappropriate AI use. Pearson requires AI use to be referenced and declared.
Which IGCSE subjects have coursework?
AI rules matter only where students produce work outside exam conditions. In Cambridge IGCSE, that means these components:
| Syllabus | Coursework component | Marked by |
|---|---|---|
| First Language English 0500 | Component 3 Coursework Portfolio, 50%: optional alternative to Paper 2 | School, externally moderated |
| Global Perspectives 0457 | Individual Report (30%) and Team Project (35%) | Report externally marked; project school-assessed and moderated |
| Geography 0460 | Component 3 Coursework, 28%: optional alternative to Paper 4 | School, externally moderated |
| History 0470 | Component 3 Coursework, 30%: optional alternative to Paper 4 | School, externally moderated |
| Drama 0411 | Component 2 Coursework, 60% | School, externally moderated |
| Physical Education 0413 | Component 2 Coursework, 50% | School, externally moderated |
| Art & Design 0400 | Component 1 Coursework, 50% | Cambridge examiner (“examined coursework”) |
The sciences 0610, 0620 and 0625 and Computer Science 0478 have no coursework; their practical and programming papers are externally assessed. On the Pearson side, International GCSE English Language A (4EA1) and English Literature (4ET1) offer non-examined coursework options. Sources: the syllabus documents for each subject on cambridgeinternational.org, and the 4EA1 specification.
What are Cambridge’s AI coursework rules?
Cambridge’s policy on generative AI in coursework “applies to all Cambridge International qualifications”. It allows two uses: “to carry out initial research into a topic” and “to quote briefly from AI-generated text within an essay and engage in critical discussion of the quotation”. It suggests “a limit of two or three sentences or about 50 words in a single quotation”. Every use must be acknowledged, with “the prompt or series of prompts they used, the name and version of the generative AI program used and when it was accessed”. Mark schemes “will not award credit specifically for the use of generative AI”.
The Cambridge Handbook 2026 adds firm rules for this year:
- “Candidates must not use online writing assistant tools when producing their coursework.”
- New: “Private tutors must not contribute to moderated coursework assignments or projects.” Centres cannot authenticate such work.
- If a teacher finds “inappropriate use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)” during the course, “you should resolve this internally. If you discover it when you come to submit work to us, you must not submit the work.”
- New: “Teachers must not use artificial intelligence (AI) as the sole or primary means of marking candidates’ work.”
What does Pearson allow?
Pearson requires AI use to be referenced and declared. Its AI guidance says AI “must be clearly referenced” and “both teacher and learner are required to sign a declaration”. It describes itself as “supplementary to the JCQ AI Use in Assessments guidance”.
For English Language A, the candidate declaration reads: “I certify that the work submitted for this assessment is my own. I have clearly referenced any sources and any AI tools used in the work.” The teacher’s declaration includes: “I have not solely used AI to mark the learner’s work.”
Pearson has also updated the authentication sheets for its English qualifications with coursework, including 4EA1 and 4ET1. The new sheets must be used from 1 September 2026, and only the updated forms are accepted from the June 2027 series. Pearson warns that “failure to use the updated sheets will be treated as malpractice”.
| Cambridge | Pearson | |
|---|---|---|
| Permitted AI use | Initial research; quotes of about 50 words with critical discussion | Referenced use that does not replace the student’s own work |
| Writing assistant tools | Not allowed in coursework | Not addressed separately; all AI use must be referenced |
| Declaration | Centre signs on behalf of candidate and teacher at submission | Candidate and teacher both sign an authentication sheet |
| AI marking | Not the “sole or primary” means of marking | Not the sole method of marking |
| Suspected misuse | Resolve internally; do not submit; contact Cambridge if found after submission | Malpractice; report to Pearson |
How should teachers authenticate coursework?
Make authentication a process during the course, not a signature at the end. Five practices meet both boards’ rules:
- Supervise drafting. Cambridge advises schools to “keep drafts and plans of coursework under supervision”. Keep dated drafts.
- Check at intermediate stages. Pearson recommends examining work in progress, and a short conversation about the work “may be helpful” where AI use is suspected.
- Teach acknowledgement. Students should know the required format before they start: prompts, tool name and version, date, and a saved copy of the output.
- Use the right forms. Pearson English centres need the updated September 2026 authentication sheets.
- Decide before submission. Cambridge is explicit: if you find inappropriate AI use at submission, do not submit the work.
A whole-school AI policy makes these practices consistent across departments.
How schools do this with AI Buddy
AI Buddy is for practice, not coursework. Students use its AI feedback on past-paper-style exam questions, where the boards’ coursework rules do not apply, and teachers see that activity on their dashboards. For coursework subjects, that keeps AI support in the right place: helping students practise exam skills while coursework stays their own, supervised and authenticated by teachers.
Frequently asked questions
Can students use AI in Cambridge IGCSE coursework?
Only for initial research and brief, acknowledged quotation of about 50 words with critical discussion. Online writing assistant tools are not allowed.
What are Pearson’s AI malpractice rules?
Using AI without referencing it, or so that the submitted work is not the student’s own, is malpractice. Students and teachers both sign declarations.
How do teachers authenticate coursework when AI is available?
Supervise drafts, check work at intermediate stages, require a set acknowledgement format, use the boards’ current forms, and do not submit work with inappropriate AI use.
Can teachers use AI to mark IGCSE coursework?
Not as the only or main marker. Cambridge’s 2026 Handbook says a human assessor must review all of the work and decide the mark, and Pearson’s declaration confirms AI was not the sole marker.
For the wider picture, see AI in Cambridge & Edexcel Schools.
Discover how AI Buddy helps schools strengthen teaching, learning and evidence-informed school improvement. Or start a short consultation with our schools team using the form below — we will get back to you directly.
Sources
- Cambridge International, The use of generative AI in coursework
- Cambridge International, Cambridge Handbook 2026, sections 3.2 and 5.6.4
- Pearson, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Guidance
- Pearson, International GCSE English Language A specification
- Pearson, Updated non-examination assessment authentication sheets for English qualifications (25 August 2026)