Exams watchdog warns of rise in high-tech cheating

The growing use of smart technology could make cheating in exams harder to detect, the head of England's exams regulator has warned. Sir Ian Bauckham, the chief regulator of Ofqual, said invigilators are being trained to spot covert equipment, including smart glasses, hidden earpieces and pens with built-in screens. According to Ofqual data, mobile phones and smart devices have been the most common form of exam malpractice in every summer exam series since 2018, accounting for 44% of all student malpractice cases last year.

With over a million pupils sitting GCSE and A-level exams this summer, Sir Ian Bauckham spoke on Radio 4's Today programme about schools reporting attempts to use increasingly sophisticated devices to gain an unfair advantage. 'We're hearing stories - and I hear this directly from schools as I go up and down the country - of devices like supposedly hidden earpieces, smart glasses that play text covertly on the inside of the glasses that only the wearer can see, and even biros that have got apparently invisible mini video screens built into them,' he said. In the worst cases, students caught cheating could lose all their A-level grades, which Sir Ian described as 'future-altering.' He noted that some devices are being marketed openly on the internet specifically as aids to cheating.

However, he emphasized that the 'vast majority' of students 'wouldn't dream of cheating,' and that only a small minority attempt to subvert the system. To combat this, exam boards are providing training and guidance to invigilators and exams officers on how to identify suspicious devices and behaviour in exam halls. Sir Ian warned pupils that the probability of getting caught cheating is high and can lead to 'really severe sanctions.'