What are the consequences of cheating in GCSE, AS level and A level examinations?

Each year the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) publishes information on the prevalence of malpractice for which a penalty has been imposed. The annual publication from Ofqual forms part of its role in regulating qualifications, examinations and assessments in England.

Ofqual requires awarding organisations, i.e. exam boards, to take all reasonable steps to prevent malpractice in the development, delivery and award of qualifications. In addition, exam boards are obligated to investigate allegations or suspicions of malpractice, manage the effects where malpractice is established, take proportionate action against those responsible, and maintain up-to-date written procedures for investigating suspected malpractice. In short, when a student faces an allegation of school exam malpractice, they are dealing with a formal process, not just an internal school complaint.

The latest malpractice figures

The most recent information, published in December 2025, provides insight into the level of malpractice during the summer 2025 season of school examinations, where a penalty was issued.

In understanding the results from the summer 2025 exams, it is helpful to appreciate the distinction between malpractice and maladministration. Maladministration usually involves mistakes or poor process, without intent to cause harm. In contrast, malpractice will generally involve some form of intent, and may also include negligence or recklessness as to the consequences of a person’s actions. In this article, the term “malpractice” covers both scenarios. For students accused of cheating, they should understand that regulators are not only concerned with obvious dishonesty, but with conduct that risks undermining the integrity of the assessment process.

Turning to the most recent release, headline figures for summer 2025 show that student malpractice remains a problem. There were 5,025 cases of malpractice involving students in GCSE, AS and A level qualifications in England, in summer 2025, slightly down from 5,155 in summer 2024.

Ofqual also reported that 4,735 individual students had at least one penalty issued in 2025, representing 0.3% of the 1,376,480 students with results issued, or pending at the time of data collection.

Overall student malpractice and penalties

These figures show that allegations of student malpractice are not isolated or unusual. Thousands of children each year are impacted by breaking school examination rules. It is worth adding that a single malpractice case may involve more than one qualification and may involve multiple types of malpractice. It may also involve more than one student. An allegation may not remain confined to one paper or one event. Depending on the evidence, the consequences may affect more than one assessment in the same exam season.

Mobile phones and other communication devices

One particular piece of data that I find most striking from the summer 2025 release, concerns the use of mobile phones and other technological devices, including smart watches. Ofqual reports that 44.3% of all student malpractice cases in summer 2025 involved mobile phone and other communication device offences. This makes such use the most common offence for student malpractice. The same report reveals there were 2,225 cases resulting in penalties for this type of offence in 2025, compared with 2,140 cases in 2024, when these offences made up 41.5% of all student malpractice cases.

The cheating or attempted cheating involving mobile phones and other communication devices increased from 2024 to 2025, both in absolute numbers and as a proportion of student malpractice cases. That is a significant warning for students. A mobile phone in a pocket, a smartwatch, or another prohibited communication device can be enough to trigger a formal malpractice investigation. It will be interesting to read the summer 2026 exam figures, later this year, to see whether mobile phone exam cheating continues on an upward trend.

Plagiarism in Schools

We regularly provide advice to university students who face plagiarism allegations. My experience is that plagiarism in schools is less common, but the fact it does occur represents a warning to others of the consequence of plagiarism, including the use of AI. As with mobile phones, it will be interesting to read what the data reveals in relation to plagiarism exposed in the summer 2026 exams.

Penalties for cheating in school exams

The most common sanction imposed on a student for cheating in a school exam is a warning. However, not far behind, in terms of numbers, is a loss of marks. Loss of marks may have a significant impact on the student, affecting their A level ambitions, or perhaps impacting on their university aspirations. The least common sanction imposed is the loss of aggregation or certification opportunity. Nevertheless, any sanction imposed on a student could have a dramatic effect on their future studies.

The lesson for school students

For students facing an allegation of exam cheating, the practical lesson is simple: do not assume the issue will resolve itself or be treated informally. Public examinations are governed by a formal framework designed to protect the integrity of results. If a student’s grades are affected, the consequences may extend to sixth-form choices, university admissions and the ability to take up a preferred offer.

If your child is facing an allegation of cheating, plagiarism or exam malpractice in GCSE, AS level or A level examinations, Doyle Clayton offers students and their parents a fixed-fee online consultation meeting with a specialist education solicitor. We will provide clear, practical advice on the allegation, the possible consequences and the options available to the student.