Responsible AI Use in Nigerian Secondary-School Essay Preparation: A Framework and Preliminary Study of AI Detection Risks in WAEC/NECO-Style Essays

Abstract

Generative AI tools are increasingly used by students for writing support, including English essay preparation. In Nigeria, this raises important questions for WAEC/NECO-style examinations, where essay writing remains a major component of assessment. While AI can support learning through outlining, grammar feedback, and vocabulary development, it also creates academic-integrity concerns. At the same time, AI-text detection approaches may be unreliable or unfair, especially for non-native English writers and hybrid human-AI writing. This paper proposes a responsible AI-use framework for Nigerian secondary-school essay preparation and presents a preliminary baseline study of AI-detection risks using WAEC/NECO-style essay prompts.