Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of (a) the prevalence of the use of large language models in the preparation of UCAS personal statements and (b) the potential impact of the use of large language models in UCAS personal statements on the likelihood of applications being successful.

The personal statement is an opportunity for applicants to showcase their ambitions, skills and experiences. As such, it is important that students use their own words to accurately reflect their unique qualifications and suitability for the chosen course.

The department is in regular contact with UCAS and have been assured that plagiarism is taken seriously, with methods and guidance in place to caution against using artificial intelligence tools, including large language models, to write personal statements.

UCAS have also consulted on future reform of the personal statement, and have worked with students, teachers and universities to devise a new format. In splitting the statement into a series of sections, this reform is aimed to simplify the process for students, and to ensure that universities hear from students in their own words.