Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Grammarly in my assignment?

 

Using Grammarly for improving assignments

[The information below comes from Ara's Academic Integrity and AI subject guide]

Please note that you should always check with your kaiako (teacher) that it is ok to use Grammarly to spell check or grammar check your assignments.

Important note for students enrolled in the NZ Certificate in English Language (NZCEL) - You must not use Grammarly or any generative AI tool to produce language that is to be assessed as your own work.

Grammarly is a versatile writing tool. It uses AI to detect areas of your work that need improvement, so it will produce an AI count via Turnitin. So once again we recommend you always check with your kaiako about its use in your assignments.

If you have got permission to use Grammarly from your kaiako, you do not need to reference Grammarly if you use it for spelling and grammar only.

 

Appropriate use of Grammarly for improving assignments [If usage is approved by your kaiako]

 

Use Grammarly in the following way to avoid issues around academic misconduct:

1. Turn off automatic suggestions that occur as you write - in other words, complete the first draft of your assignment without any help from Grammarly. To turn off the generative writing functions in Grammarly, refer to the resource Using Grammarly Safely.

2. Save this draft and keep it as raw (untouched) by Grammarly) document that you can produce as proof of your original work if you are interviewed by your kaiako about AI use.

3. Use Grammarly for spelling and grammatical checks only by uploading your document to your Grammarly account.

4. Save the edited version as a separate document to your original one.

 

Inappropriate use of Grammarly for assignments

 

You must produce writing that has been written by you and is in your own voice. Grammarly has new AI functionality that if used would produce writing that would not be considered your own.

Grammarly tools to avoid:

• tone changing tools - getting Grammarly to change the tone and style of your writing to "academic" or "formal" language for example.
• any type of paraphrasing tools including English fluency - remember the work must be in your writing, in your voice.
• first draft generation - all drafts must be your own work.
• Grammarly generative AI tool  - this can be used to evaluate your writing or to brainstorm ideas but it must not be used for creating any content for your assignments.

Read the Grammarly privacy policy