Warning to pupils: Cheating could see grades scrapped
CHEATING pupils could have their grades scrapped if they plagiarise work or hire private tutors to write their GCSE and A-level assessments, exam boards have revealed.
Pushy parents – and their children – who try to persuade teachers to improve grades could also see results invalidated if ‘malpractice’ is ruled to have taken place.
The warning was revealed in guidance published yesterday by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), which claims some pupils may try to gain an ‘unfair advantage’.
It comes as exams are cancelled for a second year because of the pandemic, resulting in qualifications being awarded on the basis of teacherassessed grades.
The regulator Ofqual warned earlier this week that exam boards could intervene over allegations of parents or pupils placing inappropriate pressure on staff to submit higher grades.
The JCQ, which represents the eight largest qualification providers, confirmed yesterday that boards will investigate ‘credible allegations of malpractice’ among pupils as well as staff.
This could lead to serious sanctions including loss of marks and disqualifications from units of work or the entire qualification.
The guidance says: ‘It is possible that some students may attempt to influence their teachers’ judgments about their grades.
‘Students might attempt to gain an unfair advantage… by, for example, submitting fabricated evidence or plagiarised work. Such incidents would constitute malpractice.
‘Students, or individuals acting on behalf of a
‘They may try to gain an unfair advantage’
student, such as parents/carers, might also try to influence grade decisions by applying pressure to centres [schools] or their staff.’
Most cases are likely be dealt with internally but the JCQ said schools should contact exam boards ‘if a student continues to inappropriately attempt to pressure staff’.
This could prompt a malpractice investigation, as could teachers ‘intentionally submitting inflated grades’, fabricating evidence of pupil performance and failing to ‘take reasonable steps to authenticate students’ work’.
Schools must ensure ‘work used in support of the teacher-assessed grade is students’ own’.
The JCQ said: ‘Robust mechanisms should be in place to ensure teachers are confident that work used as evidence is the students’ own and that no inappropriate levels of support have been given to students to complete it, either within the centre or with external tutors.’
Teachers must make ‘objective’ judgments on students’ performance using evidence such as coursework, homework, internal tests, mock exams and questions supplied by exam boards.
Geoff Barton, of the Association of School and College Leaders, welcomed the fact that ‘repeated attempts by students to influence grade decisions by applying pressure to staff may constitute malpractice’.
He said: ‘We need the small minority who may be inclined to over-assert their viewpoint to respect the fact that teachers and centres will be making professional evidence-based judgments.’