27/03/2006

Cheating students using mobile phones

Students who cheat in exams are increasingly using mobile phones to help them pass exams, a study by the government exam watchdog has revealed.

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority found that the number of candidates penalised for malpractice increased by 27% to 4,500. Around 1,100 candidates had been caught smuggling mobile phones into exam rooms.

The QCA report said that the most common form of malpractice was smuggling cheating aides into the exam room, with 1,887 students caught engaging in the practice.

Around a third of cases involved plagiarism, collusion or copying work.

However, the QCA said the proportion of students involved in cheating was small, representing around 0.06% of examination results.

Ken Boston, Chief Executive of the QCA, said: "Over recent years we have seen a noticeable rise in the number of mobile phone related incidents in examination halls across the country.

"There are clear and serious penalties for students that cheat in their examinations. Anybody who cheats in their exam will be disqualified from the exam and will lose their grade in that subject."

(KMcA/SP)

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