Ofqual, the exams regulator for England, said more than 4,300 candidates were disciplined for “bad practice” during exams held this spring. Although the total represents just 0.03% of all A-level and GCSE exams sat, it was more than a 40% increase on 2019, when 3,040 students were penalised. Having mobile phones and similar devices such as tablets or smartwatches in an exam room accounted for 1,845 of the penalties handed out, compared to 1,385 in 2019, the last year official exams were held before the coronavirus pandemic. Most students caught in possession of a mobile phone were penalized with marks deducted from their writing. In total, just over 2,000 candidates received mark reductions for all reasons, while around 1,500 students received warnings. In the most serious cases, 800 candidates were punished by canceling the exam, losing all marks. This figure was a 30% increase compared to 2019, when just over 600 students lost all their grades. More than 6% of penalties were handed out to candidates for disruptive behavior before or during exams, while nearly 15% were for inappropriate material, which Ofqual described as “the inclusion of inappropriate, offensive or obscene material in scripts, courses or portfolios”. Other malpractice statistics released by Ofqual showed a fall in the number of teachers and schools disciplined this year. The number of sanctions imposed on entire exam centers was more than halved, with just 60 schools or colleges found guilty of maladministration. Ofqual also published its report on the conduct of the 2022 exam series, which noted that 14 schools and colleges reported cyber-attacks aimed at accessing exam management software or student work. The report also revealed a sharp increase in the number of students receiving “special consideration” in their exam marking for circumstances beyond their control, with more than double the number of candidates receiving marks despite their lack or inability to take part in most of them. their papers. The increase, from 21,000 in 2019 to 50,000 this year, came after eligibility was relaxed to reflect the disruption caused by the pandemic and students who contracted Covid and had to self-isolate during the exam period. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Overall, the number of special review requests was similar to 2019, but lower than in 2017 or 2018. The exam regulator also announced that 21,000 students experienced delays in receiving their vocational and technical qualifications last summer from exam boards Pearson and OCR. The slow delivery of BTec results is said to have hampered students applying for university or college places. Jo Saxton, the chief regulator, said Ofqual would require grades for vocational and technical qualifications to be issued by a fixed deadline from next year. He also announced a new task force to monitor the delivery of results.
