<![CDATA[Tried Using ChatGPT to Help with English Writing – Surprisingly Effective!]]>Just wanted to share something we’ve been trying at home recently that actually worked better than I expected.

My daughter is in P5 this year and English composition has always been a bit of a struggle — not because she can’t write, but more like she doesn’t know how to start, or gets stuck halfway. I’ve heard about ChatGPT for a while, and out of curiosity, we gave it a go (just the free version online).

We used it mainly to brainstorm ideas. For example, I’d ask ChatGPT to give 3 possible story outlines based on a PSLE-style topic, and then we’d discuss which one sounds interesting, what kind of vocabulary fits, etc. It really helped get the ideas flowing — not copying, just guiding.

Also tried it for oral exam practice — I’d tell ChatGPT to ask her situational questions and she’d answer aloud. Not bad as a “robot conversation partner” 😅

Honestly, I was skeptical at first, but it’s been a nice way to make revision less painful. Of course, I still guide her, but at least there’s something she can interact with when I’m busy.

Has anyone else here tried something similar? Curious to hear how other parents are using (or avoiding!) tools like this.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/topic/110506/tried-using-chatgpt-to-help-with-english-writing-surprisingly-effectiveRSS for NodeWed, 06 May 2026 13:12:50 GMTThu, 31 Jul 2025 02:18:16 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Tried Using ChatGPT to Help with English Writing – Surprisingly Effective! on Thu, 18 Dec 2025 07:50:57 GMT]]>My kid was using ChatGPT to copy full answers for maths/science homework, they weren’t learning anything. So as a software guy, I purposely built a hint mode into an AI app I made called Acepal.net

It provides hints that guide thinking without directly giving the answer. My kids are actually learning now instead of cheating! Feel free to try it

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/2147265https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/2147265Thu, 18 Dec 2025 07:50:57 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Tried Using ChatGPT to Help with English Writing – Surprisingly Effective! on Fri, 31 Oct 2025 08:03:44 GMT]]>AI can be a valuable tool for English students and learners, offering several benefits:

  1. Information Gathering

  2. Concept Understanding

  3. Knowledge Summariser

AI Doing Child’s homework

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/2146822https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/2146822Fri, 31 Oct 2025 08:03:44 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Tried Using ChatGPT to Help with English Writing – Surprisingly Effective! on Wed, 22 Oct 2025 04:35:59 GMT]]>Interesting approach! Using ChatGPT for brainstorming and oral practice is clever. We’ve found something similar with our son and building confidence for his skiing during a trip, a bit like a Snow Rider tackling a slope! It’s about guiding, not replacing, the learning process. Has anyone tried using it to help structure paragraphs or improve sentence variety? Good points!

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/2146669https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/2146669Wed, 22 Oct 2025 04:35:59 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Tried Using ChatGPT to Help with English Writing – Surprisingly Effective! on Thu, 18 Sep 2025 01:59:49 GMT]]>@kakasi63 said in Tried Using ChatGPT to Help with English Writing – Surprisingly Effective!:

@kakasi63 We tried something similar too! I let my son use a free version on gptopenai.fr Stickman Hook— no login needed, and it responds quite fast. He mainly uses it to get ideas for compo and expand vocabulary. It’s not perfect, but surprisingly useful for brainstorming.

If you get a chance, let your son try the paid version, it answers quickly and is extremely relevant to your questions.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/2146189https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/2146189Thu, 18 Sep 2025 01:59:49 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Tried Using ChatGPT to Help with English Writing – Surprisingly Effective! on Thu, 28 Aug 2025 03:14:49 GMT]]>@Aurorarroll Not responding to you specifically, but just a general comment about allowing kids to use AI for studies. My kids grew up pre-AI, so I don’t have completely relevant experience, but I have supervised my kids’ studies closely, and also homeschooled a bit, so these are my views:

Kids need to go through the hard effort of doing things unaided in order to build skills. Like walking or swimming or cycling - they first rely on some help, then need to do it unaided to build the skills, strength, confidence. Without those hours of unaided practice, they won’t develop those skills, at least not to a reasonably high degree.

Using aids is a slippery slope - parents may know that the child needs to practise without aids, but will the child agree with this and comply? Or will they resent the discipline and effort, and surreptitiously use the aids when the parent isn’t looking? If parents aren’t sure that they can police the use of these aids, perhaps it’s better to hold off introducing them till later.

I don’t hold with the argument that introducing things later will mean that the child is losing out and won’t catch up. We’re not talking about delaying till they are 50, just maybe till they are 18 or 20. They will catch up more quickly than you think, and will have had a better chance to develop the underlying skills than those who were introduced to the “easy” way early on.

I’m also not saying that kids shouldn’t see AI in use, or have a go at using it for daily tasks, holiday planning, out of school activities, or even for learning etc. But I think that kids should be required to work on developing academic skills through effort without aids, and all homework and anything submitted for assessment is done without AI, at least up to JC, and restricted up to poly or university level.

Just my thoughts.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/2145942https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/2145942Thu, 28 Aug 2025 03:14:49 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Tried Using ChatGPT to Help with English Writing – Surprisingly Effective! on Thu, 28 Aug 2025 01:55:07 GMT]]>@kakasi63 I’ve tried something similar with my son, and it worked well for brainstorming but not so much for grammar or structure, which still need guidance. Have you considered gradually letting her outline without AI after a few sessions, so she builds independence?

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/2145939https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/2145939Thu, 28 Aug 2025 01:55:07 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Tried Using ChatGPT to Help with English Writing – Surprisingly Effective! on Thu, 31 Jul 2025 02:19:50 GMT]]>@kakasi63 We tried something similar too! I let my son use a free version on gptopenai.fr — no login needed, and it responds quite fast. He mainly uses it to get ideas for compo and expand vocabulary. It’s not perfect, but surprisingly useful for brainstorming.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/2145111https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/2145111Thu, 31 Jul 2025 02:19:50 GMT