Teachers who set exams could be forced to swear annual oath promising not to help students cheat
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- 15 Dec 2020
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Teachers who set exams will have to swear an oath declaring they will not help pupils cheat, according to proposals being considered by the exam watchdog.
In a bid to crackdown on malpractice, teachers who double-up as examiners would have their teaching plans scrutinised by invigilators to ensure they are not “narrowing their teaching” to focus on exam content.
Pupils who are taught by examiners would also have the work “routinely” examined, in order to look for signs of foul play.
The new safeguards are being considered by Ofqual, which is currently undertaking an investigation into exam malpractice.
A report published by the watchdog on Thursday suggests that teachers who set exams should be required to make an annual declaration " that they understand and at all times comply with their obligations to protect the confidentiality of assessment materials."
Examination boards would also be required to maintain a register of interests, with teachers forced to declare any personal conflicts which could impinge on their suitability to set exams.
The proposals were welcomed by the country’s leading independent schools yesterday, who said that it was vital that “complete fairness and probity” is assured going forward.
It comes four months after The Daily Telegraph exposed an exam cheating scandal at the heart of the British public school system, forcing the Government to launch an urgent inquiry.
The scandal emerged after the former head of economics at Eton College, Mo Tanweer, and the head of art history at Winchester College, Laurence Wolff, were found to have leaked exam answers to their pupils.
Both men were employed as examiners for Cambridge International Examinations, which provides Pre-U exams - A-level alternatives - to a number of leading independent schools.
This newspaper also revealed that investigations into exam malpractice had also been conducted at four other schools, with breaches in protocol found at Radley College and Queen’s Gate school.
In the wake of the disclosures, the country’s top private schools turned on the exam boards involved, claiming that their teachers were being placed in an “impossible position”.
Now, Ofqual is looking to impose a series of new safeguards to prevent future scandals and ensure that the public confidence in examinations is maintained.
In its interim report published yesterday, the watchdog said that while it will not go as far as barring teachers from the exam-setting process, significant changes are required.
It said it is likely to introduce “banking”, the process in which questions submitted by examiners are stored up and randomised.
This would ensure teachers “do not know whether the materials they have developed or seen will be actually used”, thereby removing the temptation to share advanced knowledge of test papers.
Chris King, chair of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference said: "HMC understands the need for complete fairness and probity in setting and marking exams and has campaigned for some years to improve quality assurance in the exam system.
“At the same time it is important to keep a sense of perspective. Teachers make the best examiners as they understand the subject and the pupils.
“We agree that proportionate measures to ensure confidence in the system, such as ensuring teacher examiners cannot know which questions will come up in the exam papers, is desirable.”
Ofqual’s final recommendations will be published in the new year.
