The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has withheld the subject results of candidates from 235 schools in connection with the alleged use of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated answers during the 2023 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
In a statement issued on Monday, WAEC revealed that the subject results of 647 candidates were cancelled for bringing foreign materials, including prepared notes, textbooks, and printed materials, into the examination halls.
Additionally, 839 candidates faced result cancellations for possessing mobile phones during the examination, while the council also withheld the subject results of 4,280 candidates and the entire results of 1,005 for various suspected offences.
The council indicated that the withheld results might be released or cancelled pending the outcome of ongoing investigations.
Wendy Enyonam Addy-Lamptey, the Head of National Office (HNO) of WAEC, expressed concern about the surge in examination malpractice during a one-day seminar on the council's laws and operations for circuit court judges and magistrates.
She lamented the involvement of some school authorities, teachers, and parents in facilitating such malpractices.
“It is sad that the youth are being trained in this manner; some candidates are desperate to take their mobile phones into the halls to use artificial intelligence (AI) to answer the questions,” remarked Mrs Addy-Lamptey during the seminar held in Accra.
Detection of AI Use:
WAEC's Head of Public Affairs, Mr. John Kapi, shed light on how the council identified candidates using AI platforms during the 2023 WASSCE.
In a radio interview with Citi FM, Mr Kapi explained that candidates from 235 schools provided AI-generated answers, leading to the withholding of their results.
“Some candidates copied wrong answers the AI platforms gave them. One candidate typed in the question, and the response was ‘I'm not familiar with the term you have used,' and the candidate wrote the same response in the answer booklet.
Another candidate wrote, ‘I cannot detect the term you have used.' This is a clear indication of the use of AI,” said Mr. Kapi.
Highlighting the evolving challenge of cheating methods, Mr Kapi emphasized that candidates previously resorted to using mobile phones to capture snapshots or sneak in with pre-solved answer sheets.
However, the emergence of AI as a cheating method poses a new and significant challenge.
Investigations and Collaboration:
WAEC is actively investigating the use of mobile phones, AI, and intercepted questions.
Mr Kapi stated, “We've monitored all the rogue websites that were publishing the questions we had put out there. Our investigations and some reports from national security indicated that all the questions found online were put out there after the commencement of the examination.”
The WAEC representative stressed the importance of candidates engaging in independent work and individual efforts for certification.
Those suspected of using AI are expected to be invited for a fair hearing.
In response to the growing concerns, WAEC is planning a collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES) to enforce strict adherence to rules regarding mobile phone usage in second-cycle institutions.
The council remains committed to maintaining the integrity of the examination process and ensuring a fair and unbiased assessment for all candidates.
