Before you hit ‘submit’ on that AI-written assignment, read this first

Gradscope and ChatGPT are kinds of technologies used in this modern era. We all are familiar with them, aren’t we? Yes, tech is just everywhere. Whether you’re texting someone, ordering food, or freaking out over an essay five hours before the deadline… It’s part of how we get things done now.

But here’s something that is closer to students in their academic journey.

Alright, say it’s like 2 in the morning. You’ve been sitting there for hours, still stuck on the same blank doc. Maybe you wrote a line, maybe deleted it. You check your phone, scroll for no reason, and open the doc again. Still blank. Your brain is not going to be in your favor anymore.

So now what? You think, why not use ChatGPT? Mostly, you open ChatGPT. 

Yes, ChatGPT can save you time and energy in almost every aspect of your life, especially when you are a student working on an assignment or any academic research. You just enter a few simple prompts, and that’s it. You’ve done it, just copy and paste. But when you think about another aspect, what if my professor checks it with tools like Gradescope? 

Wait… is this allowed?

Can my teacher tell?

Will Gradescope catch this?

Can Gradescope detect ChatGPT?

That’s where this blog comes in. People are asking if Gradescope can detect ChatGPT. Students want to know if they’ll get flagged. Teachers want to know if they can spot it.

So let’s talk about it, what Gradescope does, what it can check for, and where ChatGPT fits into all of this.

What is Gradescope anyway?

Being a student, you might have heard of Gradescope from your professor in your recent classes. Maybe they use it to collect homework. Maybe it’s for grading. Either way, you’ve probably seen the name pop up on your screen at least once.

Gradescope is simply a tool used by institutions and professors to collect assignments, mark them faster, and give feedback. They can use it to check all handwritten, typed papers, and even code. 

Now, here’s where things get interesting…

Gradescope is owned by Turnitin. You may not know Gradescope, but you must be familiar with Turnitin, which is a plagiarism checker tool almost everyone knows. As Turnitin is used for plagiarism and AI detection, students have started asking: Does that mean Gradescope can also catch copied work? Or even stuff written by ChatGPT?

So, let’s move ahead with reading this blog, and we will find all the related answers soon. 

Can Gradescope Detect ChatGPT? What It Checks

The actual question that often arises in students’ minds is, “Can Gradescope detect ChatGPT?”. The straightforward answer is that Gradescope itself does not have a built-in AI detector as Turnitin does. 

Gradescope’s core function is grading assignments or academic work. Professors use it for collecting submissions, grading, and sometimes running code autograding. But it’s not scanning your essays looking for ChatGPT patterns. At least not yet. Maybe in the future. 

That said, there’s still a little more to it.

Some schools link their Turnitin accounts with Gradescope. That means your professor might run your work through Turnitin after you submit it, and Turnitin does have AI detection features. So technically, while Gradescope itself isn’t flagging AI, it could be part of a system that does.

It might have confused you. Let’s make it simple 

What Gradescope Does:

•  Helps teachers grade typed answers, code, math problems, and handwritten work
• Supports automatic grading for code assignments
• Can give fast feedback on student answers

But as a separate tool, it does not scan for AI content by default

So, unless your school has connected it to Turnitin, Gradescope isn’t going to say “this was written by ChatGPT” all by itself. But…

Some professors might still get suspicious based on how your work looks. If it reads too clean, too generic, or sounds like something that came from a chatbot, that could raise a flag, and then they might run it through Turnitin or another AI detector.

A Quick Summary (in student words):

• Can Gradescope detect ChatGPT?

Not directly. But if your school uses it with Turnitin, your work might still get checked.

• Does Gradescope have its own AI detection?

No. It’s mostly a grading tool, not an AI checker. At least for now.

Turnitin, which owns Gradescope, has recently introduced its own AI detection capabilities that are now being used in many schools

Can Gradescope Catch AI-Generated Code or Plagiarized Work?

AI content is everywhere nowadays. If you use tools like ChatGPT in your writing, you might pause and ask yourself. What if the professor checks it through Gradescope? Can Gradescope tell if the content is written using ChatGPT or not?

Let’s clear it how it works 

What about code? Does Gradescope know if it’s from ChatGPT?

If you’re from a programming background, you may have to write an assignment using code like Python, Java, etc. But after writing the code, the same question may arise, which often students ask in different online platforms: Can Gradescope detect code?

No way. That’s not what Gradescope is for. It is only to run your code and see how it works and passes the test cases. 

• It checks if your code runs and gives the right output
• It doesn’t check who wrote the code
• But if it looks way too advanced or doesn’t sound like you, your professor might notice
• Some schools use Turnitin alongside Gradescope. In that case, things get trickier
• Basically: the tool won’t catch you, but a sharp teacher might

If you normally write with imperfection, and then your assignment is perfect and filled with advanced dictionary words and phrases. This might be a sign that you’ve probably used ChatGPT or similar tools. This is not due to the Gradescope catching you. It’s about who is looking at your work. And the difference between your usual work and the work you’ve just submitted. 

Does it check for copied stuff or cheating?

The same function is applied in terms of plagiarism as well. That is, Gradescope itself doesn’t scan your work for plagiarism or AI writing. But when it’s connected to Turnitin, that’s when your work gets checked.

• On its own, Gradescope doesn’t detect plagiarism or AI text
• No, it doesn’t track tabs or know if you switch windows
• But if your school links it to Turnitin, it can flag copied or AI-generated content
• Teachers might also just notice if your answer sounds… not like you
• So it’s not spying, but it’s not blind either

So, again, Gradescope’s main function is not the detection of AI or ChatGPT content. Its function is just grading assignments as described above. But when paired with other tools, if a teacher who knows your usual work can use it, it can lead to possible questions. 

Although Gradescope Isn’t a Detector, You Should Know About Its Function

Gradescope is more than just a grading tool. It has many features that teachers can use to track what their students do during their tests. Let’s have a look at its function, what it can do, and what it can’t. 

Key Functions That Help Detect Cheating (Or At Least Try To)

From time tracking to similarity checks, Gradescope has a few built-in tools that can raise red flags. 

Here’s what’s going on behind the scenes when you submit something.

• Similarity Detection: Compares student submissions for matching patterns. Think copy-paste, teamwork, or reused answers.

   

• Proctoring (via third party): Can work with tools like ProctorU to monitor your screen, webcam, and mic.
• Activity Analytics: Looks at how fast you answer, how many times you resubmit, and other odd behavior.

So what does this mean for you?

Gradescope isn’t reading your mind or digging through your tabs (at least not directly). But if you rush through the whole test in 5 minutes or match another student word for word, then definitely, yeah, that might raise a strong signal. These functions don’t guarantee you’ll get caught, but they give teachers just enough data to get suspicious if something looks off.

Does Gradescope have Alternatives? Let’s see what they are

Since we already discussed all about Gradescope, and we also learnt that Gradescope is owned by Turnitin, which is a plagiarism and AI detector. Other tools are there; they function differently, and may be for a bit different purposes. Some are better at grading, some at catching AI, and others just… exist because your school pays for them. 

Here’s how Gradescope stacks up against a few common names:

So, how does it make a difference for you? 

Gradescope is mainly a grading tool. It doesn’t try to figure out if something was written by AI, at least not on its own. But once it’s linked with Turnitin, things change. That’s when your work might go through deeper checks.

If you’re working with code, tools like MOSS or CodeGrade are more likely to be used, especially in CS classes. And even Canvas, which your school might already use, has started experimenting with AI detection.

Your Professor Can Get it, Even if Tools Can’t Catch

Gradescope is a tool that cannot detect content written by ChatGPT. But your teacher can. Even if you bypass the tool, keep in mind that you’re not always in a safe zone. Since your teachers have their ways of pointing out things that don’t seem right or natural. 

A teacher can tell… sometimes without any tools

Don’t forget that your professors read hundreds of papers every term or semester. They can understand their students, their tone and pattern. So they can easily guess what is genuine and what is not. Especially, if your work seems too perfect without any minor mistakes, the signal goes towards the AI content. 

Some signs that raise a red flag and you might get caught. 

• A paper suddenly sounds much more polished than your usual work
• The content feels vague or too general, without your usual examples or tone
• Sentences are overly structured or “robotic.”
• Overuse of complex vocabulary that doesn’t match previous submissions
• The work doesn’t quite match the prompt, even if it sounds smart

So, your content is not only suspicious if it involves AI content. But they might have a closer look at your content, if it feels off, and if they are using Turnitin with Gradescope, they need no supposition to check your content. It’s then already defined as AI-written. 

How I Use ChatGPT Without Getting into Trouble

To be honest, I’ve used AI Tools during emergencies, like late-night assignment panic. Not for cheating purposes, but it’s when I had no clue where to even begin. Over time, I sorted out some ways where i could use AI smartly without raising red flags from my teachers or tools like Gradescope, etc. 

Here’s what’s worked for me so far:

• I never believed a copy-and-paste job. What I did was only search via AI, then close the tab and write in my language and words.
• I always try to mess things up. That means don’t rely on one source, I even include something I randomly heard from my teacher in a class or in a seminar, etc., that might be a quote, etc. 
• I tried not to write with perfection, since humans have limited vocabulary and grammar skills. So, if something seems too robotic, I changed things to a certain degree.

Important Note: 

This isn’t about cheating — it’s about understanding how these tools work in real settings and using them responsibly.

These little things make a lot of difference. And if you ever want your assignments handled with extra care, especially when deadlines are tight, Scholarytic is worth checking out.

Conclusion

If you had to write an assignment, and had the facility of tools like ChatGPT to write with. Of course, that can ease your work by 180 degrees. At the end of the day, the same question may arise in your mind. Can tools like Gradescope, used by your professor, detect your AI content?

So, can Gradescope detect ChatGPT? On its own, not really. It doesn’t come with built-in AI detection like Turnitin does. But if your school has connected Gradescope to Turnitin, your work might still be checked for AI-written content. This means while you might not get caught directly through Gradescope, it’s never a 100% free pass. And even if you wrote yourself, it can still raise a signal being an AI, as you’re writing in words that are common in AI models. 

So, what? Well, using tools like ChatGPT is not illegal. You can use it, but in a smart way. Just for research purposes, ideas, and for understanding stuff that is beyond your level, but always make it your own. That way, you learn something and avoid trouble.