“Aunt Jennifer’s tigers walk across a screen of a green world/Denizens of bright topaz.”Whenever Class 12 student Tashvi Berry opened her English literature book to study American poet Adrien Rich’s 12-line metaphorical rage, those famous opening lines were utterly meaningless.For a 17-year-old girl with a learning disability, who had a poem for her. CBSE Boards of Class 12, struggles with the many poetic devices — juxtaposition, symbolism, irony — that make the poem feel like a losing battle. “I felt like I was stuck, because I just couldn’t understand the deeper meaning of the lines,” says Tashvi.Classroom teaching did little to break the discipline. Even private tutors could not help him.But Tashvi was not beyond help. The AI knew exactly what to do.Tashvi turned to ChatGPT – almost as a last resort – and it was an eye-opener. AI, in his tutor avatar, explained not just the opening lines but the entire poem, line by line. He taught its symbolism through ‘action’ – that the poem’s Aunt Jennifer was actually sewing lions onto a piece of cloth. That embroidery was a way of expression for a woman who felt fear and was stuck in marriage. And that she was speaking her heart through the brave and free lions she stitches.“Chat GPT explained every metaphor that was used, why certain words like ‘uncle’ are important, how questions can be structured in exams, and what the answer should be,” says Tashvi.Once she cracked it, she went back to the AI with questions about ‘Third Level’, a short story in her syllabus on escape. “AI helped me make notes in plain language and in bullet points. I keep turning to AI for anything I have conceptual doubts about, or when I need more information, such as for painting theory and Rajasthani art,” said the Delhi-based student, who passed CBSE class 12 earlier this month with 87%, a big improvement from his class score of 70%.Tuition and guidance Since the bursting of the AI dam, it has been used in schools.is proprietary, especially when it involves students using it as a shortcut, missing the point of the exercise — to help write essays, to use it to solve math problems, or when AI-generated answers were copied, word for word, for projects. But the latest graduating CBSE batch is full of examples of AI being put to good use – where students used AI as a mentor and guide to enhance classroom learning and improve exam performance.From simplifying difficult concepts and clearing last-minute doubts, to preparing answer-writing samples and practicing with model papers, to even asking AI to create the perfect study routine, these students harnessed the power of AI to prepare themselves better.Aditi Mishra, who scored 99.2 percent, said AI played a supportive role by summarizing long chapters. “Classroom teaching is irreplaceable,” says Mishra, who studied at Lucknow’s Rani Lakshmibai Memorial School and aspires to go to medical college, “but AI can be used to help and revise.Priya Singh, who appeared for the CBSE Class 12 examination from Amitasha Foundation in Noida, secured 97 percent marks. The daughter of a bus driver, Priya did not have the resources to take extra tuition or buy reference books. “AI became my reference book and tutor,” he told TOI. “In Political Science, there was a mention of the Mandal Commission, but there was limited information in my NCERT book. When I used ChatGPT to research it, I got to know the whole picture and its importance in understanding reservation in India.“Priya scored around 70% in class 10, so this is a huge improvement for her.” For history and home science, I asked her to explain the topics to me like a teacher would explain to a beginner. He created chapters that I found difficult to maintain,” she says.Others used AI whenever a better analytical understanding of a subject was needed. Here is one such example. Intoxication Solanki, who secured 92.4% marks in Class 10 and cleared the 12th boards with 98.2%.“Instead of memorizing chapters, I wanted to understand why voting patterns change and how electoral decisions reflect social and political changes,” says the DPS Gurgaon student. “And Gemini explained trends with examples and comparisons, which improved my answers.” Nisha says he used AI for deeper understanding because today’s exams are “competency-based”, where one cannot hope to do well “by just spinning definitions”, as questions are designed in such a way that application and interpretation also become important.Nisha says she also used Gemini to understand Sigmund Freud’s theories for her psychological answers. “It wasn’t easy to understand Freud’s concepts straight from a textbook. But I developed a real interest in the subject after asking questions and looking for examples on AI.”Nisha, however, has a word of caution. She says that using AI meaningfully requires a fundamental understanding of a subject, so one cannot hope to use AI outside of classrooms. “Teachers,” she says, “build that foundation, and my teachers were amazing. AI only works properly if you know how to give the right prompt. If your prompt is generic, the response will be too.” ‘Integral’ for MathematicsEven as AI can understand Freud’s dream theory, it can also, as it turns out, overcome mathematical nightmares. Just ask Arya Jain, who cleared her Class 12 exam from Apijay School in Noida. Arya scored only 60 marks in the 11th class exams. “Integral calculus used to confuse me, as a single method worked for one question and failed another. But the AI tools solved every problem I failed to understand step by step, showing alternative methods and telling me where I went wrong,” says Arya, who took her maths score to 85 in boards.Many used AI for exam practice and time management. Gunjan Chauhan used AI to create and evaluate mock tests in all papers. “I would write answers and upload them back to the chatbot, suggesting improvements, pointing out weaknesses and telling how the answers could be improved for the boards. It felt like practicing with a teacher available anytime,” says the NCR-based student. Lucknow’s Aishwarya Pandey, who secured 99 per cent marks, used AI to create a timetable for board preparation. By recording details such as school hours, study time, rest and hobbies, she was able to create an organized daily schedule.Shriyash Srivastava of DPS Greater Noida, who scored 98.4% overall, says he used AI to prepare for his organic chemistry. “Reactions can be confusing — like what breaks down, why a reagent behaves differently, or how mechanisms change. AI tools describe reactions visually and logically. To stand out, you need additional conceptual explanations. It takes time to refer to multiple books, but AI provides as many examples as you want, quick explainers,” he says.‘Teachers cannot replace textbooks’Academics welcomed the meaningful use of AI, but they also had a word of caution. “AI tools can certainly be used as a guidance platform for homework, concept clarification and extra knowledge beyond textbooks,” says educationist Aditi Basu, president (Noida), All India Principal’s Association. “Many students today use AI. But they must remember that these tools should support learning, not replace teachers. It is always advisable to cross-check information with teachers or tutors as AI-generated answers can sometimes be incomplete, oversimplified or even wrong.”Ritu Srivastava, principal of Sri Chaitanya School, Noida, admits that AI has made life a little easier for “both students and teachers”. For teachers, she says, mock tests, learning schedules, personalized assignments, lesson plans and even assessment tools can be created in seconds using AI. At the same time, she cautions against overreliance, saying there are pitfalls that teachers and students must learn to overcome. “In many instances, the answers prepared by students in this year’s CBSE boards clearly lacked the ‘human touch’. Hopefully, as AI develops further, with more advanced prompts, these gaps will gradually be bridged,” she says.Principal of DLF Public School, Ghaziabad Seema Jarath echoed this. “I have seen many students – who struggled with certain chapters, subjects or concepts – become much more confident and fluent after using AI tools to clarify doubts. The speed at which children have adopted this technology is truly remarkable.”And she, too, signs off with a note of caution. “It is equally important for teachers to responsibly guide students and help them understand what is true, correct and meaningful learning,” she adds.
– Inputs from Mohata Tiwari in Lucknow
