Learning to write as important as ever in an age of ChatGPT

The 2025 study had been cited hundreds of times and frequently referenced by AI proponents and marketers advocating for the tool’s further integration in classrooms.

Yet, as often is the case, far fewer people are likely to hear about the humbling retraction than the original grand claims.

This is unfortunate because teachers, school leaders and policymakers are currently grappling with a big question: in a world where artificial intelligence can write reports, emails, shopping lists, wedding speeches, and even short stories in seconds, do young people still need to learn how to write?

Unequivocally, they do.

As AI’s capability evolves, the human ability to think clearly, develop original ideas, and communicate them effectively is likely to become even more valuable.

Writing is more than just a way of recording thoughts; it actually helps create them.

Psychologists, educators and cognitive scientists have long understood the close relationship between writing and thinking.

When we write, we are required to organise ideas, make connections, weigh evidence, solve problems and clarify meaning. The physical process of jotting down thoughts strengthens our understanding and allows us to continue to develop our thinking in ways that are not possible when manipulating ideas solely in our minds.

Put simply, writing is not just a way of communicating what we know; it is one of the ways we come to know it.

And that raises important questions for educators. If students increasingly outsource writing tasks to AI, do they miss out on the benefits of the cognitive labour that writing requires, and what are the broader ramifications of that for their education?

Technology has long altered how we learn and how we work. Calculators reduced the need for manual arithmetic and search engines transformed how we access information. Generative AI will undoubtedly become another useful tool. But there is a big difference between using technology to support thinking and using it to replace it.

Writing is an essential skill for demonstrating proficiency in many subject areas, and it must be prioritised in our schools.

Unfortunately, research has shown a decline in the writing performance of Australian students in recent years, with analysis of NAPLAN results between 2009 and 2018 revealing that average writing scores have been progressively dropping, with the decline more pronounced as children get older.

This means that, by Year 9, many Australian students cannot clearly organise and articulate an argument, nor are they using a variety of sentence structures, precise vocabulary or persuasive devices. Yet, these are skills they will need to cope with the demands of Years 10 to 12 and beyond.

Unlike spoken language, children are not born with the biological ability to write.

Writing requires the deliberate development of multiple interrelated skills, including generating ideas, organising information, constructing sentences, managing spelling and punctuation, and revising work for clarity and purpose. It is one of the most complex tasks students are asked to perform.

Yet for many years, writing has not received the same sustained attention as other aspects of literacy. While significant effort has rightly been directed towards improving reading instruction, particularly through evidence-based approaches to phonics and decoding, a 2022 review of writing instruction by the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) identified substantial variation in how writing was taught across Australian classrooms and schools.

The review also found that many teachers felt underprepared to teach writing effectively. It recommended increasing both the quantity and quality of writing instruction students receive. 

Similarly, PETAA’s recent National Teaching of Writing Survey found that although teachers are highly committed to improving student writing outcomes, there is a need for greater coherence in writing instruction across Australian schools. 

In fact, research reveals that writing benefits from the same deliberate, systematic approach that has transformed reading instruction in recent years. Students need more than the opportunity to write. They need structured writing lessons, with time devoted to analysing texts and explicit instruction to build foundational skills and develop knowledge of the writing process.

None of this means schools should ignore AI. Students will graduate into a world where AI tools are commonplace, and they should learn how to use them responsibly.

But before students can effectively evaluate, improve or challenge AI-generated text, they need to develop their own understanding of how good writing works.

The future will undoubtedly belong to people who can work intelligently alongside AI. But it will also belong to people who can think independently and contribute original ideas. And that is something no chatbot can do.

There is something greater at stake here, too, because writing is not just a useful tool, but also an art form. One that can bring us joy and solace, connect us to awe, and afford us a deeper understanding of ourselves and our place in the world.

The fact that writing is hard is the point.

When we take the quick, machine-written win, we ultimately lose.