Assuring the standard of UK awards in the age of GenAI

Following the publication of its State of the Nation report on generative AI in July, QAA has announced the next stage of its work on assessment validity and standards, with the establishment of a Sector Advisory Group and an AI in Assessment Community of Practice, and the development of a sector-owned framework for providers. 

This report identified the crux of the challenge for quality and standards: does an assessment genuinely show what a student has learned? This matters because every UK award depends on it. Employers, universities and the public trust a qualification because they trust the assessment behind it. Where GenAI is used not to support the learning and assessment process, but bypass it, it breaks the connection between the work a student submits and the learning it’s meant to measure, putting the value of UK degrees themselves at risk. 

While it is challenging to keep pace with the evolving landscape of GenAI, parallel responses risk hardening into duplicating or conflicting norms. In 2026-27, QAA will bring together experts from across the UK and internationally to address the question:

How can we assure that an assessment genuinely shows what a student has learned in the age of GenAI? 

This Sector Advisory Group will initially focus on producing a set of key principles and definitions, supporting QAA to develop a clear, sector-owned framework for providers to implement in their own context. This isn't about telling the sector what they can and can't do – it's about supporting the sector to assure the standards of their awards and ensure that their students' learning can be evidenced.  

Phil Maull, Head of Nations Enhancement at QAA, said: “Students are at the heart of everything we do at QAA, and this work is no exception. Our aim is to protect students' interests and the value of their work, not to catch them out: students deserve to understand their institution's approach to GenAI, and to trust how it applies to their own work. That trust starts with taking their agency seriously: many students are more experienced users of AI than the staff who teach them, which is exactly why they will form a key part of the expertise of the Sector Advisory Group.” 

QAA’s State of the Nation research demonstrated that the sector wants a space to share what is and isn't working, test emerging approaches, and learn from one another. So, we are also launching an AI in Assessment Community of Practice for QAA members – details of the first session will follow later this month, and we hope you will join us. 

We look forward to introducing the sector and student experts joining our Sector Advisory Group, and to sharing what we produce together.