Hi-Tech Methods of Cheating using Mobile Phones Increase in Exam Halls

According to a report released by the Office of Qualifications and Exam Regulators (Ofqual), the number of pupils smuggling mobile phones and other unauthorised materials into the exam halls, to cheat in their there A-levels and GCSEs examinations have increased by six percent, when compared to the previous year. A five percent rise in the number of pupils showing disruptive behaviours during examinations and writing offensive materials on their exam papers are also reported.

Surprisingly, it is not the candidates alone to be blamed. The survey further uncovers a remarkable increase in the number of invigilators, who helped the students to cheat. When the figures show that the exam boards issued 4,400 penalties for exam cheating to students in 2009, around 27 warnings and 17 staff suspensions were issued against invigilators last year. This is an alarming rise from 60 percent to 88 percent in the case of invigilators, who aid to cheat.

Furthermore, a total of seventy examination centres were reprimanded for malpractices such as breaching security, opening question papers early, allowing late-coming students to appear for examinations, giving preference to some students and providing assistance to the students. Apart from assisting pupils in the exam halls, a separate report reveals that a total of 360,000 requests for extra marks were sanctioned by the teachers, when the students said their performance was affected by minor problems.

The most common kind of cheating is the smuggling of unauthorised materials to class. When mobile phones topped the list, there are other materials including MP3 player, concealed ear pieces, reading pens, iPods, dictionaries, calculators and study guides. Apart from the text messaging, the accessing of internet using mobile phones has been found as a major practice among students. Last year, around 1,897 penalties were issued for unauthorised materials and this is an eight percent rise, when compared to the previous year. The caught pupils were either given 60 percent marks cut in the exams or disqualified totally. Those who bought the equipments by mistake, were warned.

There are many websites, which openly sell the exam cheating equipments such as concealed ear pieces. To tackle these issues, now the schools are being sold with detection equipments to track down the devices. One of the popular detection equipment now at use is Mobysafe, manufactured by a Gloucestershire company. This is a hand-held mobile phone detector, that can be placed in exam halls to detect any electronic signals.

Besides, every examination centres must stick warning posters in the exam halls. Other methods like the sealing of rooms with materials that can block mobile phone signals are under consideration. Suggestions including installing CCTV cameras in the exam halls and allowing students to have access to the internet (this was tested in Denmark) are also on the desk.

The dignitaries of Ofqual say that they take this as an extreme serious issue, and as a body to ensure the fair systems, they will check this at any cost. However, it seems the old form of cheating, the writing of answers on the arms and under sleeves have totally disappeared with the dawn of hi-tech gadgets.

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