ResearchBusiness

Study: ChatGPT linked to notable grade inflation in writing and coding courses

The bottom line: A UC Berkeley analysis of over 500,000 grades finds that courses heavy in writing and coding show a sharp rise in A grades since ChatGPT's launch.

In detail

  • Dataset: More than 500,000 grades from 319 courses across 84 departments, fall semesters 2018–2025.
  • Magnitude: A grades share rises by 13 percentage points; average GPA up 0.12 points.
  • Exposure: Largest increases occur in courses with high shares of writing and coding assignments—areas where AI performs best.
  • Homework linkage: Courses where homework counts above the median see an extra 16‑point rise in A's; courses with lower homework weight show no significant effect.

Why it matters

Results suggest generative AI is replacing student work on unsupervised tasks rather than indicating true learning gains, which undermines the signal grades send to employers and educators.

For you Takeaway: If you rely on academic credentials for hiring or training evaluation, reassess assessment types—increase supervised testing or skills‑based evaluations.

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