Over 75% of Students Use AI for Homework

In January 2025, the UK government announced their AI in Action Plan, committing £1 million to the development of AI-powered teaching tools. 

Shortly after the announcement, Science Secretary Peter Kyle said in an interview that he supports children using AI for their homework, as long as they do so with “supervision.”

In response, Save My Exams conducted a survey of over 1,000 students and parents to understand more about how many students are using AI for their homework, and their attitudes towards it. 

The findings reveal that over 75% of students are already using AI to help with their homework. However, while two thirds of students don’t consider using AI to be cheating, more than half of parents disagree. 

Continue reading for a detailed analysis of the report’s findings.

How many students use AI to help with their homework?

According to Save My Exams’ survey, 75% of students use AI to help with their homework. 24% of students use AI daily for homework, 44% use it weekly and 32% use it monthly. 

This is a significant increase compared to a study by the Pew Research Centre in the US in 2024, which found that 26% of students use ChatGPT for their school work. 

In short, the majority of students are already using AI, and this is only increasing. Those that don’t are in the minority. 

Do students and parents think using AI is cheating?

When comparing student and parent attitudes, there is a clear difference between the two demographics. 

Save My Exams’ study found that two thirds of students don’t consider using AI for homework to be cheating. However, more than half of parents do consider using AI to be a form of cheating. 

This reveals a generational divide in how students and parents feel about using AI for school work. 

Do students fact-check the information from AI tools?

65% of students said they fact-check the information that AI tools generate. 

This suggests that, while some students aren’t thinking critically about the information that AI tools provide, many are aware of the limitations of using platforms like ChatGPT.

Can students identify AI generated homework answers?

56% of students said they feel confident in being able to spot AI content.

However, two thirds of students couldn’t identify AI generated homework answers in a test.

Save My Exams presented students with two answers to an exam-style question. One was written by a teacher, and the other was generated by ChatGPT. 

67% of students said the AI answer was written by a human, meaning that most could not identify that it was written by ChatGPT. 

Do parents check whether their children are using AI?

More than half (54%) of parents admitted to checking whether their children are using AI to help with their homework. 

Would students and parents be more likely to use AI if they had support from schools?

82% of students said they’d be more likely to use AI if their school taught them how to use it effectively. 

Similarly, 70% of parents surveyed said they’d be more likely to help their children use AI if their school provided training. 

61% of students said they’d use AI more often if their school had an AI policy in place. 

Likewise, 70% of parents said that an AI policy would make them more willing to help their children to use AI.

Although parents are more critical of AI, both demographics agree that increased support from schools would encourage them to use these tools more often. 

Do students and parents think AI should be banned in schools?

Three quarters (74%) of students said they don’t think AI should be banned in schools. Similarly, 62% of parents agreed that AI shouldn’t be banned. 

Summary of the findings

Save My Exams’ survey reveals that most students are using AI to help with their homework. Although many students are fact-checking the information from AI tools, most could not identify AI generated homework answers in a test. Parents are more critical of AI than students, but both demographics agree that increased support from schools would encourage them to use AI more frequently. 

Methodology

Save My Exams surveyed over 1,000 students and parents in February 2025. Students were presented with two answers to the same exam-style question. One answer was written by a teacher from Save My Exams, and the other was generated using a ChatGPT prompt.

Read More

How to Use AI & ChatGPT (Smartly) for Revision

Teaching Students to Use AI Responsibly

References

AI teacher tools set to break down barriers to opportunity - GOV.UK 

Let children use ChatGPT to do their homework, says Science Secretary 

Share of teens using ChatGPT for schoolwork doubled from 2023 to 2024 | Pew Research Center