Introduction: Trust Your Gut
You have likely seen it already. A student who usually struggles with sentence fragments suddenly hands in a perfect essay. The vocabulary is elevated, the grammar is flawless, and the structure is impeccable.
While AI tools are meant to act as "personalized tutors" available 24/7, they are often used by students to bypass the actual work.
Many teachers rush to use AI detection software, but these tools can be unreliable. They often flag honest work as AI and let actual AI work slide. Instead of relying on technology, use your human intuition. Here are the biggest "tells" that a human did not write the assignment.
Clue 1: The "Too Perfect" Grammar
Human writing, especially student writing, is messy. It has personality, unique sentence structures, and occasional errors.
AI models like ChatGPT are trained to be average and grammatically perfect. If an essay has zero comma splices, no run-on sentences, and maintains a perfectly consistent tone from start to finish, be suspicious. It lacks the "voice" of the student you know.
Clue 2: The "Sandwich" Structure
AI tends to follow a very rigid structure, often called the "five-paragraph sandwich."
The Intro: It restates the prompt exactly.
The Body: It uses transition words like "Furthermore," "Additionally," and "Moreover" in every single paragraph.
The Conclusion: It summarizes the points without adding any new insight or personal reflection.
If the essay feels like a template with no creative deviation, it might be AI.
Clue 3: Lack of Class Context
This is the easiest way to spot a bot. AI does not know what happened in your classroom yesterday.
If you discussed a specific analogy in class or asked students to connect the topic to a local event, the AI will miss it completely. AI writing is usually very general. It speaks in broad strokes and avoids specific, niche details unless specifically prompted.
Clue 4: The Vocabulary Test
AI loves certain words. It often uses "delve," "tapestry," "landscape," or "testament" excessively.
If a student uses complex vocabulary, simply ask them what the word means.
Teacher: "This is a great point about the 'societal tapestry.' What does that mean to you?"
Student: (Struggles to define it).
This simple conversation is more effective than any software scanner.
Clue 5: Hallucinated Citations
As mentioned in our guide for students, AI can "hallucinate." This means it invents facts or quotes to please the user.
Check the sources. AI often creates citations that look real but do not exist. It might list a real author but attribute a book to them that they never wrote. If you cannot find the source on Google, it is likely fake.
How to Handle It: The Conversation
If you suspect AI use, do not start with an accusation. Start with a question.
Instead of saying "You cheated," try:
"This essay sounds very different from your usual voice. Can you walk me through your writing process?"
"I noticed some advanced vocabulary here. Can you explain this paragraph in your own words?"
This approach turns a disciplinary moment into a teaching moment.
Conclusion
The goal is not to play "gotcha" with students. The goal is to ensure they are learning. AI tools are here to stay, and they can be useful for things like "brainstorming project ideas". However, students must learn that the final product must be their own.
By knowing these signs, you can spot the difference between a student who is learning and a student who is generating.
