Lovestruck pupil’s boast unleashed exam row
IT IS the scandal that has led to the sacking and suspension of teachers and raised questions over the propriety of some of the country’s leading schools.
But now it can be revealed that the exam cheating scandal may have begun with a romantic gesture intended to win a young woman’s heart.
The Sunday Telegraph has learnt that one of the controversies ensnaring four leading public schools came to light when a student in the possession of leaked details of his exam paper boasted to a girl he was trying to impress.
It follows a series of disclosures by The Telegraph into exam malpractice at schools including Eton and Winchester College, which resulted in two sen- ior scholars leaving the profession in disgrace.
Concerns over exam cheating were raised by a student at Downe House, an independent boarding school for girls, after an Eton student attempted to win her affections.
It is understood the pair had struck up a friendship in recent months, and that the male student had sent her the email in an attempt to “chat her up”. Both pupils had already completed their exams in art history Pre-U, an A-level equivalent qualification set by Cambridge International Examinations (CIE).
Rather than keeping the information secret, the girl raised the alarm with teachers at Downe House, who reported their concerns to the exam board. Winchester College and Eton also reported their concerns to CIE. A source familiar with the controversy said: “It turns out that one of the boys had really put his foot in it, because he’d let slip to a girl he was trying to chat up at Downe House.
“She was outraged and reported it to the school, which led to this sorry chain of events being exposed.”
The complaint is understood to have prompted a series of investigations by CIE, which resulted in Eton and Winchester College students having their marks voided.
The Telegraph later revealed that Winchester College’s head of art, Laurence Wolff, had been behind the leaks. He was suspended pending an investigation, and later agreed to take early
retirement. The exam board also found that pupils at Eton had been passed details of the exam from a pupil at Winchester, resulting in a second set of exam marks being voided.
During that period, members of Eton’s economics department came forward with concerns that Mo Tanweer, the school’s head of economics, had also leaked confidential information about an upcoming Pre-U economics paper. He was subsequently dismissed for gross misconduct.
Both Mr Tanweer and Mr Wolff had been examiners for CIE, and had helped devise and administer the exams affected.
On Thursday, the Government intervened. Ofqual, the exam regulator, began a review of whether teachers should be allowed to set exam questions in the subjects they teach. It is also understood that the Commons education select committee will be asked to look into the scandal when Parlia- ment resumes next week. Emma McKendrick, headmistress at Downe House, said: “Concerns were brought to us by a pupil and we took those concerns to the examination board. The examination board then took the matter up and carried out a full and thorough investigation.”
Simon Henderson, Head Master at Eton, said the students affected had been “inadvertent recipients” of the information.
“This related to practice questions set by a teacher from another school and sent on by a pupil at that school before the exam. Eton is aware that one of its pupils then sent this onto a pupil at another school after the exam. Eton referred this matter to CIE. No member of Eton staff was involved,” he said.
Cambridge International Examinations was unavailable for comment. It had stated earlier that it had “investigated allegations of maladministration”. Winchester College was also unavailable for comment.