The high-tech cheats
Cheating is on the up
Have you ever been tempted to cheat in an exam? Last year in the UK, teachers caught 4,400 school students cheating in official exams.
Cheating is still a rare occurrence. It only happens in 0.03% of all exams taken, but it is on the up. Examiners have seen a 6% increase since the previous year.
The most common offence is smuggling electronic devices such as phones or MP3 players into exams. Nowadays, so many students have very small MP3 players that can easily be concealed or phones with access to the Internet. There are even websites that sell specialist gadgets aimed at helping cheats. One website, selling concealed earpieces, contains this testmonial from a satisfied customer, “I’m a student and last term I had just NO time for memorising all the information for the exam. Now I’m a top student in my group! Thank you so much!”
Clearly, electronic items like these are banned from the exam hall. Daisy, a school girl from London, explains: “They ask you to put all your things in a clear bag and to leave your phone at the front, but I’m sure it’s possible to sneak a phone in. It’s for people who don’t work who feel they have to cheat.”
Schools are looking for ways to stop this type of cheating. Concerned schools can buy equipment to detect mobile phone signals and block signals from the exam room, but they are always one step behind the cheats.
But is it realistic to stop students from using the Internet in exams in this day and age? Some schools in Denmark have started allowing students to use the Internet during exams. The Danish Education Minister says that exams should reflect daily life and the Internet is a part of daily life. Could this be a smarter way of stopping students from cheating with their mobile phones?
School students in England taking an official exam (Rex Features)
Read this article at a different level
6 February 2010 at 06:08
First I've never cheated in an exam. However I saw many friends of mine doing it. In my opinion it's very very embarrassing. Of course students shouldn't being doing that because they are not going to learn more by that way, but the opposite. I mean if students have cheating as a given they wont need to study for an exam because they have the given way of sussess in it. Although I'm against cheating, the Danish Education Minister did very well and I wish that access to internet during the exams be applied in my country too!!!
6 February 2010 at 09:52
It isn't possible to stop it. There are many different ways to cheat on exams with the high-tech items only encouraging students to do it. But to allow it? That's nonsense! It's like no exam at all. They propably stoped learning for exams. And the consequences will be terryfing. They won't be able to use books or other sources of knowledge. I can't even imagine how bad it could be in the future. It's good now the way it is. Teachers searching for ways to stop cheating and students inventing new ways every year. It is difficult to understand, but they all learn also by it. It's better than allowing them to cheat!
6 February 2010 at 10:31
Cheating was always a part of exams and I don't think, that something can change it. Cheating is now easier because of modern convinences, like mobile phone or mp3 player. Solution implemented in Denmark in my opinion is bad, because exams should test the knowledge of students without helpfull devices like for example Internet. If somebody want to be honest, he will learn and he wont need cheating.
6 February 2010 at 16:17
In Poland it is normal. Students often cheats in exams. maybe it is not good but sometimes we have not got a time to learn. Teachers thinks that we are as "computer" which in one second can do homework, learn and many others things.
6 February 2010 at 19:50
For me, it's disgusting. I don't know, why students cheat... They must be aware of the facte, they aren't as good as they seem to be. I have never cheat at exam using electronics, however I've cheated a couple of times and I'm not proud of me. That was humilitating. I really do disapprove of cheating.
7 February 2010 at 00:56
While in Denmark, students would stop to cheat by cell phones, my opinion is they would start to use internet to cheating. I think, that this kind of exams shouldn't be important, because it doesn't show real knowledge of a student. It's not fair, that they have so easy way to don't overwork. In my opinion someone, who is a good student and want to have a good marks will be learning, not cheating. I can't cheat, I know because I tried once, but it didn't help me. I was so nervous that I forgot everything. So I prefer learn and later have a satisfaction that I reached my grade in good way. All of you who are cheating, remember of the consequences, which are threatening you.
7 February 2010 at 08:46
In my opinion the only one solution, which can curb cheating is to forbid using mobile phones and mp3 players in schools. There is in Poland such a ban, but usually a lot of students still using mobile phones on breaks between lessons. Nowadays a lot of phones have got access ti the Internet, so drawing the informations is easier, than at any time. I am of course opponent of cheating, but once again I want to say, that cheating was always a part of school test and in my opinion nothing can change it.
7 February 2010 at 13:13
In my opinion Denmark has made a very good choice. The whole education system should be based on daily life and useful for each person. Of course all the basis information ought to be remembered. I think we need to keep away from impracticalness :)
7 February 2010 at 13:23
In my opinion using the Internet in exams isn't the best conception.I't is quite good to have some knowledge inside, in heads not in network.We don't have access to the Internet all life long to check sth . I think widsom is high priced ,even today in high-tech life.
7 February 2010 at 13:53
I my country cheating isn;t banned so strictly, I mean that during a normal school week there are many students rewriting the answers from their mobile phones. It seems to me that it is unjust in respect to the effort other student made while learning. Sometimes the knowledge we are obliged to brush up on is very extensive and to be honest it won't be useful in our further education or career, however it doesn;t dispense us from learning unfortunately. I;m in favour of punishing the people caught on cheating.
7 February 2010 at 14:00
I think that cheating on the exams is very dangerous. They can cancel your test if you are cheating. In my opinion is better to learn. When you pass the exam, you can be sure that this is only yours achievement.
7 February 2010 at 14:48
of course, I have been tempted to cheat, but not in an exam (official, like GCSE or A-level) but in school, during normal test. Cheating was, is and will be a big problem in schools. Students are more and more canny and creative. Our technology is also on the up and up, so I think that we cannot do anything and it is not realistic to stop students from using the internet, mobilephones or mp3 players in this days. As said before, students are smart and they know how outfox teachers and every kind of equipment which aims to prevent cheating.
8 February 2010 at 15:09
Personally I don't approve of cheating in exams, however I have to own up to doing it sometimes during my school tests. Of course I agree that it's not fair and students shouldn't do it. But on the other hand, sometimes we have to learn about things that we are completely not interested in or we have to remember information, which we find needles. In that situations teachers shouldn't be surprised that cheating in tests is so common. Another case is cheating in official exams. There is no excuse for these students, who copies out during such important exams.
8 February 2010 at 15:25
Everyone knows that cheating exams is a negative occurence, however in my opinion nobody is able to eliminate it completely. In our times students have more availabled ways of cheating becouse modern technologies still envolve. That's the main reason of increasing number of dishonest students. I'm absolutely convinced that the goverment in Denmark has made a mistake becouse exams shouldn't check the Internet's abilities instead of skills of students.
8 February 2010 at 16:06
It doesn't matter if someone uses phone or anything else to cheat- cheating is cheating and obviously it is wrong. But don't be a hypocrite, almost each of students has at least once cheated in school.Sometimes there is really no other way, when you have not any time to study, you won't be prepared for exams but does it mean that you are supposed to fail? I don't praise cheating, but I also don't revile such cheaters.I think if someone claims he ' doesn't know why students cheat and even that this is a shame, he is probably arrogant or something like that.There is no way to discourage the students to cheating but having an access to the internet during exams is not good idea- we should learn in order to be smarter and smarter, not only to increase our ability of finding informations- it is dead end...Maybe the only effective option is to bring up children with consciousness of the fact that cheating is wrong and we should be honest on the moral grounds...simply.
8 February 2010 at 18:09
We can't prevent cheating. In my country it is commonplace and I suppose, that nobody can say, that he or she has never cheated in his/her life... It is very unpleasant, but it can't be helped. Anyway, Denmark has a good idea and using the Internet during exams may reduce cheating.
8 February 2010 at 18:34
I agree with Atheraia that if you try to cheat it can cost you very much. Especially when you are not experienced losing your concentration it can be disastrus. So I don't reccommend cheating if you are not familiarized with this way!!!
8 February 2010 at 18:48
And I want to tell something about cribs. Students have a crazy ideas for cheating. they put their cribs everywhere - under watch, into pen or even in sandwich...they can do everthing to cheat ;)
8 February 2010 at 20:28
Cheating on exams is individual business. It's very comfortable to do nothing and get good marks but some day this lack of knowledge could case problems. I know there are situation that, this kind of "help" is for some students "last chance" but I think there is always another way, maybe harder but more profitable.
8 February 2010 at 21:09
In Poland, cheating on tests isn't a rare occurrence, definitely ;)) I really appreciate that small displays of using electronic devices or cribs on tests are noticed swiftly and government tries to prevent these wrongdoings, for instance buying special equipment to detect mobile signals (now I think that I don't move with the times ;)) I am really shocked with Danish Education Minister's attitude - I suppose that ability of using the Internet during the tests isn't a good solution. Maybe Minister wants to pick up steam of searching useful informations in the Internet amidst teenagers, but in my opinion it isn't necessary ;)
8 February 2010 at 21:29
My Mum always told me that writing cribs before an important prince's head is supportive, though I shouldn't use them on the test, but treat them like repetition. I am startled with fact that students accept a big risk connected with cheating in official exams, in my opinion it is a sheer lunacy! I must express my strong disapproval to some of student's statements, which was quoted in this article, for example someone says that after using special earpieces during the test he became top student in his group. I consider it strongly unfair and I would never be behind similar behaviors.
9 February 2010 at 11:43
It is very hard to change it. We have in school a lot of different subjects. One we like another we hate. When you don't like learning for the subject, the easiest way to pass a test is cheating. It depend on the student, which way his prefers.
9 February 2010 at 12:13
In Poland, cheating in tests is really popular. However, to my mind, there is a difference between cheating in official exams or in some usual tests, because cheating in exams might have more serious consequences. Despite, in both cases it is a fraud. These days there is a lot of ways of cheating and I think that if somebody wants to cribs, he /she will do it. We just have to consider whether we want to learn something and have some knowledge or we just want to pass an exam.
9 February 2010 at 14:44
Regarding the idea of using the Internet during exams in some schools in Denmark I want to say that it seems to me, that it's not a good solution. There is no point in writing test, when you can copy the answers out from the Internet. So I don't agree with The Danish Education Minister.
10 February 2010 at 06:05
Cheating is not fair. I always learn before tests. It takes away me lots of time... So when somebody cheat I`m upset. On the other hand, if our studenst cheat, honest people won`t learn.
10 February 2010 at 07:26
I think nobody is able to ban cheating. It is impossible, because students can always find some way to use e.x. electronics to write the exam better. I don't know why, but it's true. However, they should try to do sth with it or cheating will be so commonplace that they must change the form of exams.
10 February 2010 at 12:35
I agree with Oluchna:) Our knowledge is the most important. I think that it is a bad idea to use Internet when you are writing the test.
10 February 2010 at 20:32
I've heard and read many clever words here, but it will be always my opinion that cheating is somehow a crime. It's a straight way to start to steal or to go in wrong life's direction. I know, that are days when people are not able to learn or have no time due to other activites ( but not like internet or playing games or partys!). But in this situation I'll try to write on my own and not to be known as a cheater - liar.
10 February 2010 at 23:02
I must concede that I sometimes cheat on exam. But who has never done it? We must learn about few things that we will never bring into play.We have too many tests <sometimes three on one day> and when we have to learn it? Of course I think that cheat on exam is not good, but sometimes it is the only way that we can choose.
11 February 2010 at 16:57
A lot of students in my class think I'm very smart. There is a girl who wants to cheat, almost every test. She wants to look at my answers. I can't help her always, but if I can, I do. In that way, I hope she will not think I'm a "nerd" ( I don't know what people mean if they say in another country, but here it isn't nice to say that to somebody) and (maybe) we will be friends. I think cheat with a little test isn't a problem. You don't learn anything, but that is your problem. With a big test, you have to do it yourself, because the mark you get is (more) important for your future and people will expect to much of you if you use a "better" person (or thing).
11 February 2010 at 19:05
To my way of thinking using the internet during the test is nonsensical. this idea will make students lazier than they are. Cheating is our consciences' case cause even if teacher are on alert students will always find a way to outsmart him. Teacher can't watchfully observe all students in the class at the same time.
11 February 2010 at 19:17
In my opinion it's very hard (or maybe even impassible) to cheat in official exams. There are always a few teachers sitting in front of the class, walking through the hall and watching students. On the other hand - cheating is simply stupid. I can't imagine some doctor, who have cheated in test, and during the operation he doesn't know what to do. I think that I could understand cheating on some less important test. For ex. i really don't know why humanist have to know everything about acids, and vice versa - why math students have to know what's mean categorical imperative.
11 February 2010 at 21:36
Although I am completely against cheating in exams, I believe that Denmark has taken a wise decision. The point of exams is to assess the students' ability to learn and understand important concepts regarding a specific subject and their ability to use this knowledge to solve the problems/answer the questions presented to them. However, exams have the down side of being far from normal conditions. If the student is unable to work properly under a lot of stress or has trouble learning certain definitions or names from memory, that student will do badly in any exam, regardless whether or not s/he understands the subject. Of course, students can easily look up such definitions or quotes (etc) and thus, all of their answers will be obviously correct. However, in an exam where the use of the internet is allowed, the students will be tested more intensely about their ability to solve problems and/or to adapt their knowledge to answer the questions. After all, in everyday life this is needed more than the ability to learn definitions, laws, quotes and so on from heart and reproduce them like a trained parrot. If exams are there to assess whether the student has understood the topics, one can safely assume that in doing so, the student has the ability to use that knowledge in his/her everyday life and probably in his/her future career. Now, as we all know, the Internet has integrated in almost everyone’s everyday life. So what’s wrong with replicating these normal conditions in an exam; an exam that has the very purpose of assessing the students’ ability to function in these very same conditions? Please note, it’s not cheating if using the internet is allowed.
12 February 2010 at 08:45
Use Internet during the exam is a great advantage but is not good for the target.
12 February 2010 at 16:02
the very smart idea is -I think- learning in schools where we can choose especially these subjects in whitch we are really interested, for example information science or art. that is obvious- to graduate we have to learn languages or math, but most of people in the age of 16 know exactly whitch types of subjects they do not undouptedly need. in that case the problem of cheating would be less common, but unfortunately we do not own that type of school in every city...
12 February 2010 at 19:35
Yes, I agree with you, Atheraia, but is anybody able to prohibit doing that? I don't think so. Even if there is something like "Cheating profibited" - however, not everybody obeys, does he? With reference to miemsie's comment, I help people with writing tests, too. But I know that I may be punished for my deed... And I don't know, if I've done good or bad thing...
Sorry we are no longer accepting comments for this article