Compare the essay with the student's earlier work, check the sources and the drafting history, and talk with the student about what they wrote. A sudden change in voice, quotes or sources that do not exist, and ideas the student cannot explain are stronger signs than any single detector score.
Short pieces written in class give you a reliable picture of how each student writes. A take-home essay that sounds like a different person, with a vocabulary and polish the student has never shown, is worth a closer look.
Ask for the document’s version history, outlines and drafts. Real writing usually grows in stages, with changes along the way.
Hold a short, friendly conference. Ask the student to explain their main argument, define a word they used, or add a paragraph on the spot. A student who wrote the essay can usually talk about it with ease.
A Stanford study found that seven AI-writing detectors were near-perfect on essays by U.S.-born eighth-graders, yet classified 61.22% of essays by non-native English speakers as AI-generated. The study’s senior author advised against relying on detectors in classrooms, especially where many students are non-native speakers (Stanford HAI).
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By David Venafro, founder · Updated October 12, 2026