How Tech is Making Cheating in Exams Harder to Spot
The advancement of smart technology is something that is largely considered to be a good thing, helping us do everything from knowing when our washing has finished through to being able to track our fitness regimes.
Nowadays, you name something that you’d like to do and the chances are high that there is a smart tech device out there that can help you to do it. Not all areas of life are considering such advancements to be a good thing, however.
Teachers are flagging up that smart devices are making it harder and harder to identify when pupils might be cheating on their exams, which is obviously a massive concern for the world of education.
Smart Tech is Constantly Improving
The types of devices that are being used by pupils are increasing in their sophistication, with the likes of smart glasses, tiny earpieces and even pens with built-in screens all having been found by exam invigilators. In fact, since the summer exams of 2018, mobile phones and other smart devices have accounted for 44% of all student malpractice cases in examinations. In the summer of 2025, OFQUAL reported the following:
- 2,225 cases involving the use of mobile phones and smart devices
- 545 cases of students being disqualified from some or all of the exams
- 1,240 cases leading to marks being lost
Some pupils have been known to use smart glasses with text on the inside of them that only the wearer can see, whilst others have pointed to hidden earpieces that the user is able to hear information through but that no one else will be able to hear or even see.
Whilst most students wouldn’t even think about cheating, those that would know that they can turn to smart devices in order to help them cope with exams that they might otherwise struggle in.
Children Putting Their Futures at Risk
Although the idea of getting some help in an exam that you might struggle with might seem like a good one at the time, the truth of the matter is that doing so could severely jeopardise your ability to pass your exams. That, in turn, could put your future at risk, given the fact that you might end up leaving school with no grades in your GCSEs or A-Levels.
Even though every year sees countless celebrities coming out and explaining why they didn’t pass their exams but did fine in the end, the truth of the matter is that the majority of people who don’t get any exam results at all are significantly more likely to struggle later in life, but you don’t hear their stories.
@nicksadler.io Students can now point a pen at a maths question and get the answer instantly. How are we meant to trust exams after this? And how do we control tech that’s evolving faster than the classroom? Wild times. #ChatGPT #AItools #EducationCrisis #SchoolTech #FutureIsHere ♬ original sound – nicksadler.io
Whilst it might seem like a decent shortcut for an exam that you might feel as though you’re not particularly strong in, it would be worth your while considering the repercussions further down the line. Aside from anything else, the knowledge that you will get from studying is something that you can make use of throughout your life and future career, whilst taking advantage of shortcuts by using smart devices is not something that you’re going to be able to do in virtually every other walk of life.
For teachers, the idea of the pupils that they have spent years working with and teaching cheating in an exam is a heartbreaking one.