New guidelines to tackle coursework cheats
New guidelines will be introduced in a bid to crack down on coursework cheating, the government’s exam regulator has announced.
The move follows a review of GSCE and A-level coursework arrangements by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), which finds cause for concern about coursework practices.
According to the report, some parents are drafting their children’s essays, teachers are helping so much they could be “cloning” work, and the downloading of essays from the internet “cannot be controlled”.
Recent figures show a nine per cent rise in the number of pupils caught for plagiarism, and education chiefs worry the use of the internet is fuelling malpractice.
Although the QCA warns little can be done to control internet websites, the report recommends that schools and exam boards adopt plagiarism detection software, similar to that now used in many universities.
It also criticises existing teaching guidelines as “limited and open to interpretation” and says parents should be given more rules on how they can help their children with coursework.
At GCSE level, coursework currently accounts for between 20 and 60 per cent of the overall grade, while at A-level it can be from anywhere between zero and 60 per cent, for subjects like art and design.
Today’s report finds that one in 20 parents admit to drafting some of their child’s coursework, and the QCA says it needs to be made clear when help becomes malpractice.
QCA chief executive Ken Boston said: “Coursework has clear education benefits, but carries some risk.
“This report enables the authorities to take further action to manage the risk, obtain greater clarity for teachers and parents, and ensure that any malpractice is detected and penalised.”
The National Union of Teachers (NUT) has welcomed the move, saying it would be beneficial to pupils, parents and teachers.
“Teachers right across the country will welcome tightening up in the procedures, trying to find greater consistency between the examination boards, and giving good guidance,” said general secretary Steve Sinnott.
But shadow education minister Mark Hoban called on the education secretary to reduce the role of coursework in assessment, saying: “Ruth Kelly should not need yet another review to tell her that the increasing reliance on coursework is leading to more cheating and undermining standards.”
“We proposed at the last election that the proportion of assessment based on coursework should be reduced, and we welcome signs the government is now accepting that greater rigour is needed.”
