FROM MR. ANDREW – DP COORDINATOR

Dear DP Community, Ramadan Kareem!

The end is in sight for Grade 12! It is amazing to think that, after 13 years, in 8 weeks there will be no more school! Although we are so close to the end, it is obviously vitally important not to lose focus. Classes will be held as normal until the 19th April, your teachers will be available the following week, and throughout the exams – please reach out for help!

Please make sure you are aware of your schedule, as arriving on time is your responsibility and late arrivals may not be allowed to enter the examination. Make sure you are aware of the Items not Permitted and Notice to Candidate Posters, attached to this email (also posted outside the DP Lounge and in the Study Hall). I am slightly concerned by how few students have requested Legalization of their Diploma. This is a requirement for many nationalities, especially Emiratis. Here is a link to the form - https://forms.office.com/r/XgLZd1nXEk

Also slightly concerning is the lack of requirements to have results sent universities. Here is the link to that form https://forms.office.com/r/S41cNGJ9jj

After the holiday, Spirit week is coming up and I’m sure that all of the Grade 12 students will take part in the events with the humour and good nature they are intended to invoke. Obviously this close to exams it is important to have some down-time, but make sure that boundaries are not needlessly crossed.

Grade 11 have mock exams on the horizon. It is imperative that these are taken seriously as the results will form the basis for most teachers’ predicted grades. Universities begin requesting predicted grades in September and October, so this is the first real indication for them of how strong a student you are.

Also well under-way for Grade 11 are the Extended Essays. The Grade 12s will be able to offer advise on how important it is to meet deadlines, to avoid an unnecessary build up assignments and the stress which accompanies such a situation.

Just for fun, I asked ChatGPT to write a couple of paragraphs explaining why using ChatGPT is cheating. Here is what it came up with:

Be honest!

Using ChatGPT to generate an essay can be considered cheating because it involves using an AI language model to generate text that the user did not write themselves. When you use ChatGPT to generate an essay, you are essentially relying on the AI to do the work for you, rather than using your own skills and knowledge to develop and articulate your own thoughts and ideas.

Moreover, submitting an essay generated by ChatGPT as your own work is a violation of academic integrity and can result in serious consequences, such as failing the assignment or even facing disciplinary action from your academic institution.

However, ChatGPT can be a valuable tool for research and brainstorming. By using the model to generate ideas and explore different perspectives on a topic, you can enhance your understanding of the subject matter and develop your own original ideas for your essay. As long as you use ChatGPT as a tool to supplement your own writing, rather than relying on it entirely, you can avoid the ethical and academic pitfalls associated with cheating.

Mr Andy,

atomlinson@ris.ae