- The UK government says cheating in exams using smart devices poses a major threat
- Students could soon resort to using smart glasses and invisible earpieces
- It’s not just a concern in the UK, with cases increasing in China and the US
The UK government has warned that the rise of smart technology could give students more reasons to cheat in their GCSE, AS and A-level exams, and the threat should not be overlooked.
Chief Regulator of Ofqual (Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation), Sir Ian Bauckham, warns that devices such as hidden earpieces and smart glasses advertised to students via social media could overtake phones as a means of cheating. Speaking to BBC Radio 4, he shared the following:
“We hear stories – and I hear it directly from schools as I go up and down the country – about devices like supposedly hidden earpieces, smart glasses that play text hidden on the inside of the glasses that only the wearer can see, and even biros. [pens] that apparently have invisible mini-video screens built in.” “In the worst case they could lose all their A-level grades. It changes the future,” he added
In addition, Bauckham appeared at Ofqual’s Can I just qualify it? podcast show where he revealed that the government has had to “move really fast because technology is moving fast”. He also said that invigilators are now being trained to spot this kind of smart technology.
Since 2018, the rise in smartphone malpractice in exams has grown significantly, and last summer alone 2,225 cases where smartphones and other devices were used to cheat were flagged, resulting in 545 cases where students were disqualified.
Having access to mobile phones in schools, Bauckham argues, has opened the door to a new wave of technology enabling exam cheating, and from his latest warnings, it’s only getting harder to control. That said, this threat is not just limited to UK schools.
Global education systems need to act
This is not the first time that smart devices have entered the exam hall.
In regions like China, smart glasses are becoming a popular way to cheat on university exams, allowing students to scan questions that the device will then display the answers on the lens, Rest of World reported a few weeks back.
Students are even going to great lengths to rent out their smart glasses to other students to use during exams for between $6-$12 a day, the business says, and used online marketplaces like Xianyu are becoming an increasingly popular place for students to buy their devices.
Using smart glasses to cheat on exams is one thing, but AI is another growing problem in classrooms. Not only is AI increasingly difficult to detect in written courses in the UK, but it is prevalent in universities across the pond.
In May, Ars Technica reported that 30% of Princeton students cheat on exams using AI, but this can be attributed to the institution’s antiquated exam codes. The outlet shared that because lecturers don’t monitor exams (the university still adheres to a 19th-century regulation), it makes it easier for students to get away with cheating, and the number of cases is only increasing.
According to a survey of Princeton seniors conducted in 2025, nearly 30% of students admitted to cheating during an exam. Despite this number, nearly 45% of students said they had witnessed other classmates cheating but decided not to report it, even though students must promise to report misconduct.
However, the university will soon crack down on this. A few weeks ago, Princeton faculty members voted in a referendum to write mandatory proctoring for in-person exams into Princeton Law, and it was a landslide victory with only one member opposed. The regulation enters into force on 1 July.
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