Malpractice for GCSE and A level: summer 2017 exam series

Number of incidents of malpractice for GCSE and A level summer exam series.

Main trends

1. 2,715 penalties were issued to students in 2017, up from 2,180 compared to 2016 and representing 0.015% of entries (compared to 0.011% in 2016).
2. Having access to a mobile phone was main reason for student penalties.
3. 895 penalties were issued to staff, up from 360 in 2016. This still involves a very small proportion of the total number of staff in England (350K FTE staff).
4. Exam boards are more likely to issue formal written warnings for similar offences rather than informal advisory notes this year.
5. 120 penalties were issued to schools or colleges, down from 155 in 2016.
6. The actual number of penalties issued to schools or colleges is small given the overall number of centres (over 5,000).

Geographical coverage

The report presents data on incidences of malpractice in England. Reports published in previous years included data for learners in Wales and Northern Ireland as well. As such, historical figures in this year’s report reflect data for England and may differ from previously published figures.

For all statistical releases for the academic year 2016 to 2017, Ofqual will publish separate data tables for learners in Wales and Northern Ireland, without commentary.

Responsibility for publishing data for learners in Wales and Northern Ireland has been passed to Qualifications Wales and CCEA respectively for the academic year 2017 to 2018 and beyond.

User feedback

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