Exams watchdog warns of rise in high-tech cheating
Ofqual chief says invigilators are being trained to detect devices like smart glasses and hidden earpieces.
Coverage by Political Leaning
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Notable Quotes
"We're hearing stories — and I hear this directly from schools as I go up and down the country — of devices like supposedly hidden earpieces, smart glasses that play text covertly on the inside of the glasses that only the wearer can see, and even biros [pens] that have got apparently invisible mini video screens built into them."
— Sir Ian Bauckham , Executive
"We shouldn’t underestimate the challenge of new deceptive methods."
— Sir Ian Bauckham , Executive
"We shouldn’t underestimate the challenge involved here."
— Sir Ian Bauckham CBE , Executive
"I was really pleased to read that the government has now made the decision to require schools to have no mobile phones on school premises."
— Sir Ian Bauckham CBE , Executive
"Invigilators are being trained to detect devices like smart glasses and hidden earpieces."
— Ofqual chief , Executive
"Ofqual had to 'move really fast, because technology is moving fast'."
— Sir Ian Bauckham , Executive
"We have a really robust test security team here at College Board, coupled with, really, an industry-leading technology team."
— Priscilla Rodriguez , Executive
"There are of course other devices, there are smart watches and smart all sorts of things. There might be smart spectacles next… that will play text across the inside of the lens that only the student can see."
— Sir Ian Bauckham CBE , Executive
"We shouldn’t underestimate the challenge involved here."
— Sir Ian Bauckham CBE , Executive
"I was really pleased to read that the government has now made the decision to require schools to have no mobile phones on school premises."
— Sir Ian Bauckham CBE , Executive
"Yes, I cheat on participation. Participation made up a really big part of our grade."
— Sara Brownell , Academic
"It’s easy to blame students, but when it’s 9:45 p.m. and you have an assignment due in 15 minutes... it’s just too easy and too tempting to take that question and feed it into AI."
— Sara Brownell , Academic
"Like most organisations, we have been grappling with the role and use of AI as it relates to internal training and testing."
— Andrew Yates , Executive
"AI tools had led to a ‘tipping point’ as the use of them was outpacing safeguards against cheating put in place by the association."
— Helen Brand , Executive
"We’re seeing the sophistication of [cheating] systems outpacing what can be put in, [in] terms of safeguards."
— Helen Brand , Executive
"people who want to do bad things are probably working at a quicker pace"
— Helen Brand , Executive
"the rapid rise of technology, led by AI tools, had pushed the issue of cheating to a 'tipping point'."
— Helen Brand , Executive
"Our research shows it is of international importance to understand how AI will affect the integrity of educational assessments."
— Dr Peter Scarfe , Academic
"The publication of this real-world quality assurance test demonstrates very clearly that the generative AI tools freely and openly available enable students to cheat take-home examinations without difficulty to obtain better grades, yet such cheating is virtually undetectable."
— Prof Karen Yeung , Academic
"Some assessments will support students in using AI. Teaching them to use it critically and ethically; developing their AI literacy and equipping them with necessary skills for the modern workplace."
— Prof Elizabeth McCrum , Academic
Key People
Andrew Yates is the chief executive of KPMG Australia.
An associate professor at Reading’s school of psychology and clinical language sciences.
Helen Brand is the chief executive of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).
Niale Cleobury is KPMG’s global AI workforce lead.
The head of the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation in the UK.
Senior vice president of college readiness assessments at the College Board.
Reading’s pro-vice-chancellor for education.
One of the authors of the study on AI-generated exam papers.
A fellow in law, ethics and informatics at the University of Birmingham.
Sara Brownell is a biology professor at Arizona State University who is researching academic dishonesty in education.
Chief Regulator of Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation in the UK.
Sir Ian Bauckham CBE is the Chief Regulator of Ofqual, England's exams regulator.
Tags
All Coverage
Ofqual chief says invigilators are being trained to detect devices like smart glasses and hidden earpieces.
The UK government has issued a strong warning about the growing threat of students using advanced smart technology—such as hidden earpieces, smart glasses, and pens embedded with video screens—to cheat during GCSE, AS, and A-level exams. Ofqual Chief Regulator Sir Ian Bauckham emphasized the increasing sophistication of these devices, largely spread through social media, which could lead to students being disqualified and losing all their grades. Invigilators are now undergoing specific training to detect such technologies.
The growing deployment of covert smart technology in examination halls has triggered severe alarms at the highest levels of the English educational system. The head of the national exams regulator has issued an unprecedented warning regarding the sophisticated methods students are utilizing to bypass security protocols. Sir Ian Bauckham, the chief regulator of Ofqual, revealed that invigilators are undergoing intensive training to identify hidden equipment, including microscopic earpieces, smart glasses, and pens equipped with built-in video screens.
Gadgets including smart glasses and invisible earpieces could undermine the legitimacy of the exam system by making it easier for students to cheat, the chief of Ofqual has warned. Chief regulator Sir Ian Bauckham, who leads the body that regulates Britain’s qualifications and examinations, said that Ofqual had to 'move really fast, because technology is moving fast'. The regulator’s own data showed that mobile phone and smart device offences accounted for 2,225 malpractice cases in the summer 2025 exam series, or 44.3% of all cases. It has been the most common category of cheating in every summer exam series since 2018.
The head of the national watchdog overseeing exams and qualifications has issued a warning over the growing threat of cheating enabled by smart devices. The leader of Ofqual, chief regulator Sir Ian Bauckham, has suggested the risks posed by now-ubiquitous smartphones is now accompanied by new dangers created by the growing prevalence of other connected technologies. This includes 'invisible earpieces and smart glasses being advertised on social media, as more than 1.3 million students sit their exams' across England, according to a press release issued by Ofqual.
Cheating in exams using the latest gadgets poses a growing threat that must be tackled quickly and not underestimated, Ofqual’s chief has warned in a new podcast. Chief Regulator Sir Ian Bauckham CBE’s comments come amid concerns about latest gadgets including invisible earpieces and smart glasses being advertised on social media, as more than 1.3 million students sit their exams.
Ofqual's chief regulator, Sir Ian Bauckham, warns of increasing use of devices like smart glasses and hidden earpieces in exams, urging swift action to address the issue.
A biology professor at Arizona State University highlights the vulnerability of in-person courses to digital cheating methods, including AI-powered tools.
A KPMG partner was fined A$10,000 for using AI to cheat during an internal training course, highlighting concerns over AI-fueled cheating in professional settings.
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) announces the cessation of remote exams to combat rising AI-assisted cheating.
The College Board will prohibit students from wearing smart glasses—wearable, internet-connected computers that allow users to see a computer display in the lenses—while taking the SAT, starting in March 2026. The organization has long banned any wearable electronics, such as Apple AirPods and Apple Watches, said Priscilla Rodriguez, senior vice president of college readiness assessments at the College Board. Such devices, as well as students’ phones, are taken away by the test’s proctor before the test begins; the rule outlawing smart glasses is just an extension of that existing policy.
A University of Reading project demonstrates that AI-generated exam answers can pass undetected, raising concerns about academic integrity.
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