As VCE exams start, we reveal the breaches students have been in trouble for in the past
As VCE exams kick off, breaches that have landed past students in hot water have been revealed — and they include writing past the finish time.
Education
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Hundreds of VCE students have been caught cheating during their final exams in recent years.
As exams begin for some subjects on Monday, the Herald Sun can reveal that almost 400 students were probed by the state’s curriculum body for breaching examination rules since 2017, with figures spiking during the pandemic.
Eighty-nine students breached exam rules last year, while just 59 students were reported to the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) in 2020.
Last year, 20 per cent of students caught flouting the rules were busted using their mobile phones in the middle of an exam.
Twenty seven per cent of rule breakers refused to stop writing when their exam time ended and twenty five per cent used their calculators before they were allowed.
Nineteen students either had their marks reduced by VCAA or were reprimanded over the breaches.
No further action was taken against sixty-seven students who were probed.
The consequences are slightly more lenient on year 11 students, three of which were cautioned against breaking the rules.
The number of rule breakers peaked in 2019 – when 103 senior students were reported.
It comes after students were busted for writing cheat notes on their hands and using electronic devices in their final exams.
A VCAA spokeswoman said the number of students who breached exam rules remained small compared to the Victorian senior student cohort, but the body enforced the regulations in schools.
“We work closely with schools to ensure students understand the rules for VCE examinations and supervisors are trained in applying the rules and reporting alleged breaches,” she said.
“More than 83,000 students sat a VCE exam in 2021 and there were only 89 students, or 0.1 per cent, who were investigated for allegedly breaching the rules.”
This year’s VCE exams will be completed between October 3 and November 16.
Most common exam offences in 2021
Kept writing – 25 students (27%)
Writing or using calculator before permitted – 22 (25%)
Using a mobile phone during an exam – 18 (20%)
Punishments handed down for exam offences in 2021
Penalty (reduced marks) – 15
Reprimand – 4
Cautioned – 3
No further action taken – 67
No penalty issued – 0
Source: VCAA