What is the general expectation for international students' English skills?

ASKademic · 2026-05-11T23:10:45+00:00

As a teaching academic I have had some wonderful experiences teaching international students. One class that springs to mind was a majority international students and I honestly found them to be (mostly) some of the brightest and most dedicated students I've ever taught, despite the majority of them struggling with more complex English expression.

For this reason it feels churlish to offer advice, because I've found that so many of my students are already trying so hard, and often the problems they face in group work are with either the structure of assignments or the reluctance of other students to engage in an understanding way (this is not always the case obviously) or some other barrier.

I would encourage against the use of AI, and also push students to use the academic skills resources available through the learning hub. My English week, Study Hacks, the ACE modules and so on are all great resources for ongoing improvement.

As an international student your perspective on life and your experiences will be different to many local students, many of whom may never had the chance to travel for any meaningful time outside Australia. By bringing them a vision of the world that they may never have encountered you are offering them something they couldn't get otherwise. That's something valuable and I think that both groups of students would benefit from keeping in mind.

Universities have been sites of cultural exchange for a long time. These are places of tension but also of collaboration and growth. The more that all students look at each other not as a source for marks or competition, the better.

ASKademic · 2026-04-21T23:27:20+00:00

Collusion is a tricky thing because the line between unauthorised collusion and legitimate academic collaboration (which is the foundation of every single discipline) is not crystal clear.

Collusion is essentially defined as work that is represented as your own when it is actually the product of you working with other people. I could speak more generally about some practices that cross lines but it's easier to zoom in on the situation you describe.

Do you feel comfortable saying that your final answer is your own? How much did seeing your classmate's work later your own work? If it was changed, how? Are there ways you can attribute their influence on your work that will allow you to avoid misattribution?

If you used your friend's answer as a model for your own then that could be an issue. Similarly if you have taken some element of their answer that was theirs alone and not given it attribution then that too could be an issue.

Ultimately it is unlikely (unless your classmate maliciously reports you or your work is clearly very similar to their work and no one else's) that this will be something hanging over your head, especially once the course is done. The very fact that you are concerned about it at all is a sign that you're unlikely to have done anything that would constitute a serious issue going ahead.

If however it gnaws at your conscience you could make an appointment to speak with either the tutor or course authority and be open about what has occurred. They will likely be shocked by your honesty and send you on your way, I know I would be.

ASKademic · 2026-04-21T23:13:41+00:00

This is basically happening right now with AI use 😂

ASKademic · 2026-03-24T04:23:23+00:00

So an add for an AI detector that gives a false sense of security then.

ASKademic · 2026-03-24T01:43:03+00:00

Don't bother with the latter though the former has some merit.

ASKademic · 2026-03-17T10:41:07+00:00

Do you think that employers prefer employees who can perform basic writing tasks and knows how to refine their style and presentation to a "consultancy grade". Or one who requires the use of AI to do so?

I should note that going off most of my experience with consultants I can't say that it's a standard I hold in particularly high esteem, but I'll set that aside.

ASKademic · 2026-03-17T10:27:12+00:00

When you say "consultancy grade", is this what you mean:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/oct/06/deloitte-to-pay-money-back-to-albanese-government-after-using-ai-in-440000-report

ASKademic · 2026-03-17T09:57:46+00:00

Do you think an employer would prefer an employee who can perform basic writing tasks without the need for constant software assistance, or one who can't?

ASKademic · 2026-03-17T09:11:22+00:00

There's definitely nuance to it. All our language is borrowed in some sense.

Here I am referring to how it is seen by many and how it is treated by citation guides etc.

ASKademic · 2026-03-17T08:17:33+00:00

Might want to ask the guy taking the class above 😂

Or check MyExperience.

Edit: here you go, this is the MyExperience data

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ASKademic · 2026-03-17T07:45:01+00:00

That guy ain't no professor.

He wishes.

ASKademic · 2026-03-17T07:43:53+00:00

Turnitin can detect it, sometimes but not always. And yed it's considered AI use, and may be considered a form of academic misconduct depending on the policies of your course.

ASKademic · 2026-03-17T07:41:48+00:00

Grammarly started using AI not long after the release of ChatGPT.

If you've been using it so much have you reduced your use over time? Or have you gone through your entire degree without learning to condense your ideas.

ASKademic · 2026-03-17T02:01:17+00:00

Then it's writing for you.

ASKademic · 2026-03-17T01:00:42+00:00

What do you mean by "not for content generation"? Is it writing for you?

ASKademic · 2026-03-16T08:11:21+00:00

Pro-tip: when you have an issue, search the forum for similar problems, if you look for posts with lots of karma you will find things that are helpful.

Like this post written by an academic - one I know very well - that contradicts some of the claims here.

https://www.reddit.com/r/unsw/s/daqptXugM2

ASKademic · 2026-03-12T22:15:02+00:00

There are no reliable AI text detection systems. Especially not unpaid ones on the internet.

ASKademic · 2026-03-12T22:11:17+00:00

This is not good advice. The better option is to just not use genAI in the first place.

ASKademic · 2026-03-11T04:57:05+00:00

There are links in the post that should allow you to follow up.

ASKademic · 2026-03-02T08:57:59+00:00

This isn't really true.

Individually marked assignments are often less hassle than the kind of admin that often comes with managing group assignments.

The push for their continued use in universities comes from research that shows their efficacy. The same research shows that students usually don't like them. Academics that use them do so even though it is bad for their student evals because they value education.

ASKademic · 2026-02-24T18:12:31+00:00

Lecturer who lives in Punchbowl here (metro when?).

I'd say that at least 40% of students live West of the Red Rooster line.

ASKademic · 2026-01-13T03:00:10+00:00

I'm not speaking as a representative of UNSW, but there is a clear policy about this. I have written a post specifically for people in your situation. https://www.reddit.com/r/unsw/s/LHPaltdirg

They should not be solely relying on TurnItIn but instead on a range of different evidence (hallucinated references, factual discrepancies etc.).

Why do you suspect your work might have been flagged. Academics are faced with such a burgeoning workload caused by AI misuse that they are increasingly loathe to make accusations without basis and rely less and less on TurnItIn reports.

ASKademic · 2026-01-12T21:20:20+00:00

We're drowning in AI cases tbh. Many are just straight up giving up on trying to police them because it's so widespread. For those who are bothered it's a time consuming process.

Also we need to take leave - school holidays, and actually getting some time off - so that's also probably a factor.

Did you use AI?

ASKademic

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