Since 2019, Irish law makes it a criminal offence to provide or advertise services that do assessed work in a student's place. Here is what the law says, who it targets, and why feedback on a text you wrote yourself is a different thing (checked October 2026).
See how Esmond worksThe Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Act 2019 inserted a new section 43A into the 2012 Act, titled "Offence to provide or advertise cheating services". Among the acts it makes an offence:
QQI, which brings prosecutions under section 43A, describes the problem as individuals and online companies, colloquially called "essay mills", that offer bespoke assignment writing to learners. It names paraphrasing services meant to get past plagiarism software, falsified work placement reports, services that draft research proposals for students, and outsourced research and statistical data. According to QQI, a conviction can lead to a fine of up to 100,000 euro and/or imprisonment of up to five years. Concerns can be reported to QQI at [email protected].
The offences in the Act are framed around doing, supplying or advertising the work. If you use such a service, your own institution deals with it under its academic integrity or misconduct policy, and the consequences there can be serious.
The key words in the Act are "in the enrolled learner's stead". The offence is about someone else doing the assessed work for you. A tutor who explains a concept, a library session on referencing, a supervisor's comments on a draft: none of these produce the work in your place.
That is the line Esmond is built on. You upload a draft you wrote. Esmond evaluates it and points to passages where the argument, the method or the use of sources is weaker, with a direction for revising. It does not write or rewrite your work. Where a comment includes an example, it illustrates a principle; the sentences you submit are ones you write yourself.
A service being lawful does not mean your module allows it. Esmond works with language models, so using it is AI use, and many Irish institutions decide AI rules per module or assignment. Section 43A tells you what providers may not do; your module handbook tells you what you may do.
Be straight with yourself: Esmond works with language models, so using it is a form of AI use. Rules on AI differ per university, programme, module and assignment. Check your module or programme handbook before you upload, and if it is unclear, ask your supervisor or module coordinator and declare the use if your institution asks you to.
This page summarises section 43A and how QQI describes it, with links to the sources. It is not legal advice: how the law applies to a particular service or case is a question for a lawyer, and what your programme, module or supervisor sets always comes first.
Section 43A is about someone else doing assessed work in your place, or supplying it to you. Feedback on a text you wrote, where you make every change yourself, is not that. Whether your module allows a given feedback tool is a separate question for your handbook or supervisor.
Section 43A sets out offences of doing, supplying or advertising the work. Separately, your institution treats the use of such a service as an academic integrity matter under its own policy. How the law applies to any individual case is a question for a lawyer; this page is not legal advice.
No. Esmond evaluates your text and explains what could be stronger. It does not produce or rewrite any part of your work.
Official sources, checked October 2026. Read the full text at the source.
Esmond is preparing its launch in Ireland and is not taking orders here yet. Until then you cannot upload or order anything here; the guides on this site are free to read.
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