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Students' mobiles switched off and left on a table during an exam
Students' mobiles switched off and left on a table during an exam. Photograph: Franco Silvi/AFPGetty
Students' mobiles switched off and left on a table during an exam. Photograph: Franco Silvi/AFPGetty

Mobile phones drive increase in exam cheating

This article is more than 14 years old
The number of pupils cheating in GCSEs and A-levels has shot up, with many smuggling their mobile phone into the exam hall

A leap in the number of pupils trying to cheat in their GCSEs and A-levels by smuggling mobile phones and MP3 players into exams saw penalties issued for malpractice rise by 6% in one year, according to official statistics out today.

Students received more than 4,400 penalties in 2009, and there was a jump of 29% in the number handed out to staff at exam centres.

Penalties to staff were up from 68 to 88, according to exams regulator Ofqual, with those for helping students cheat increasing from 45 to 58.

In eight cases, impersonators were caught taking the exam in the place of students.

The most common type of cheating by pupils was bringing in unauthorised material – mainly phones and other electronic communication devices they could use to get on the internet, access stored information, or even covertly listen to recordings.

Concealed ear-pieces can be bought online, some openly marketed as "exam cheat equipment". Meanwhile schools are being sold detection equipment to help them track down devices being used against the rules in exam rooms.

Other banned items being sneaked into the exam hall include calculators, dictionaries or study guides. Some 1,897 penalties were given for unauthorised material - up 8% on the year before.

Of those who had brought a phone or similar device in, 60% lost marks or were disqualified, suggesting they were using it in the room. Those who had just brought equipment in by mistake would be issued with a warning.

The number of penalties to school or other exam centres was up 35%, from 52 to 70, with much of the increase caused by actions such as opening question papers early, allowing candidates to sit an exam at an incorrect time and lack of appropriate invigilation. In 20 cases, the school or college concerned had given help to students.

Ofqual pointed out that cheating remained extremely rare, with the number caught only equivalent to 0.03% of all the exams sat by candidates. Last year the figure was 0.02%.

In almost half of cases students lost marks, and in one in six cases they were disqualified. In over a third of instances, candidates were issued with a warning.

There was also a 5% rise in disruptive behaviour during exams, with 539 incidents, and a 10% increase in candidates disciplined for writing offensive or obscene comments on exam papers.

Separate Ofqual figures revealed that almost 360,000 requests for extra marks were granted after pupils said their performance was affected by a problem on the day, from a minor illness like a cold to the death of a relative. The number of cases represented 2.2% of the total number of exams taken, up slightly from 2.1% in 2008.

The director of the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), Jim Sinclair, said: "JCQ members take a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of cheating in examinations including the possession of unauthorised items such as mobile phones, iPods and MP3/4 players.

"Cheating in an examination is an infringement of the regulations and may lead to disqualification from the current examination and the overall qualification."

A Department for Children, Schools and Families spokesman said: "No student should be at an unfair disadvantage, and access arrangements and special consideration mean all candidates can properly demonstrate their skills and knowledge under assessment conditions. All applications must be based on firm evidence, which meets the guidelines set out in the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) guidance.

"Instances of candidate malpractice in exams remain extremely rare. We are absolutely clear that any kind of cheating in exams is unacceptable."

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