Setting genuinely differentiated homework for a class of thirty is one of those things teachers know they should do and rarely have time for. AI makes tiered tasks fast enough to be realistic.
What "adaptive" realistically means here
Not an intelligent system that responds to each pupil in real time — that's a different category of product. What's achievable today is producing several genuinely different versions of the same task quickly, so pupils get work pitched appropriately rather than one sheet that's too hard for some and too easy for others.
The tiered homework prompt
Prompt — three tiers
Create a homework task for Year 9 [subject] on [topic] in three tiers. All three must assess the same learning objective and take a similar time. Tier 1: heavily scaffolded with structure provided and some content given. Tier 2: standard, with light prompts. Tier 3: extension, requiring pupils to apply the idea to an unfamiliar context. Include an answer key for all three.
The key instruction is "same learning objective, similar time" — otherwise AI produces easier work rather than differently supported work, which isn't differentiation.
Self-marking homework
Homework that pupils mark themselves is where the workload gain compounds — and AI makes producing quality answer keys trivial.
Prompt — self-marking set
Create a 12-question homework set on [topic] for Year 10, with a pupil-friendly answer key that doesn't just give the answers but explains why each is correct, in language a 14-year-old can follow. Add a short 'if you got this wrong, revisit...' note for each question.
Adapting for the pupils who need it most
Prompt — reading age adaptation
Rewrite this homework task so the instructions and reading demand are accessible to a pupil with a reading age of around 9, without reducing the cognitive challenge of the actual task: [paste task].
That distinction — lowering reading demand without lowering thinking demand — is the one most worth mastering, and AI handles it well when you name it explicitly.
Building in retrieval
Prompt — homework with spaced recall
Create a homework task on [current topic], but include three short questions revisiting [earlier topic] at the start as a warm-up. Keep the whole thing to 30 minutes.
Assume pupils have AI too. If homework is a task AI can complete in seconds, some pupils will let it. Either design tasks where that doesn't bypass the learning, or accept AI use and set tasks that require pupils to critique, improve or explain AI output. See designing AI-resistant homework.
Claude or ChatGPT?
For this kind of structured educational content, both perform well and the practical differences are small. Use whichever your school has approved and whichever your staff are comfortable with — the quality of your prompt matters far more than the choice of tool. See our comparison of AI tools for teachers and check your school's approved tools.
Want differentiated homework without the Sunday night?
We show departments how to make tiering realistic. AskColin gives schools low-cost monthly support with one-to-one help whenever you need it — so when you're stuck on a real job at 8am, there's someone to ask. Practical, jargon-free, built around your department.
Get one-to-one AI support for your schoolFrequently asked questions
How can AI create differentiated homework?
Ask for the same task in three tiers, specifying that all must assess the same learning objective and take similar time — heavily scaffolded, standard, and extension applying the idea to an unfamiliar context. Without that instruction AI produces easier work rather than differently supported work.
What does adaptive homework mean with AI?
Realistically it means producing several genuinely different versions of the same task quickly, so pupils get appropriately pitched work — not an intelligent system responding to each pupil in real time, which is a different category of product.
How do I lower reading demand without lowering challenge?
Ask AI explicitly to rewrite instructions and reading demand for a specific reading age without reducing the cognitive challenge of the task. Naming that distinction is the key — AI handles it well when asked precisely, and it's the most valuable adaptation to master.
Should I use Claude or ChatGPT for creating homework?
For structured educational content both perform well and practical differences are small. Use whichever your school has approved and staff are comfortable with — the quality of your prompt matters far more than the choice of tool.