A-levels: nearly 9 out of 10 students are using AI to prepare for their exams

Artificial Intelligence has already officially become part of the preparation for the Maturità. According to the 2026 Maturità Observatory by ScuolaZoo – Italia’s largest student community – 69% of students use AI tools to create summaries and mind maps, whilst 17% use them to simulate exams or mark exercises. Only 14% say they do not use AI: 10% because they prefer traditional methods, and 4% because they do not trust artificial intelligence. This figure reflects a clear paradigm shift in the way the younger generation studies: AI is seen as a daily aid to exam preparation.

In the days leading up to the exam, a strongly individual approach still prevails: 62% of students say they “lock themselves in their room to study on their own”, and 21% admit they will end up revising “at the last minute”.

The issue of mental wellbeing remains a key concern: almost half of students (47%) say that their school did not provide any useful psychological support to help them cope with the stress of the Maturità exams. By contrast, only 8% say they received practical and useful help.

Attitudes towards the final exam also appear to be increasingly critical. If they could change it, 27% of students say they would abolish the Maturità altogether, whilst 26% would like a more personalised exam tailored to the student’s individual academic journey. For more than one in two final-year students (54%), the most dreaded part of the exam is the oral interview, far more so than the second written paper (38%).

These uncertainties aren’t just about the exam, but also about the future. In fact, 43% of final-year students feel they haven’t received proper guidance on their post-qualification choices. Despite this, 70% plan to enrol at university after the summer, whilst 14% will look for work straight away. And from the open-ended responses received by the ScuolaZoo community, a need emerges that goes beyond grades and performance: ‘After school, I just want to be happy’, ‘Feel free’, ‘Find my place in the world’, and so on. Rather than fear of exams, what seems to be emerging strongly is a desire to regain a sense of balance after years spent under pressure.