Guidance Notes and Procedures Relating to Exams and Malpractice
Note: Front sheet of exam booklets should contain:
- Name of course.
- Name of exam subject (eg. Marketing, HR Management)
- Name of student
- Date
- Grid showing questions answered and order in which answered.
- List of exam regulations as indicated below
Invigilators must also give candidates the following information before the examination:
- You must write in blue or black ink or ballpoint pen, except for drawings and rough notes, unless the instructions on the front of the question paper say otherwise.
- Write your name and other details required on the front sheet of your answer booklets.
- Fill in any other details as necessary.
- You must do all work, including rough work, on examination stationery unless otherwise stated.
- You should neatly cross through any rough work or mistakes but not make it totally illegible. You must not use correcting fluid, correcting pens, highlighters, or gel pens on your answer paper.
- Check now in your pockets that you do not have on you any unauthorized material such as notes, books, papers, calculator case or lid, calculator instruction leaflets, electronic devices, or mobile phones.
- Any mobile phones must be turned off.
- You may not communicate in any way with another candidate. You may not give help to any candidate or ask for help from another candidate. You should raise your hand if you need to attract the invigilator’s attention for any reason.
- Before candidates are allowed to start work in the examination, the invigilator must:
- Tell the candidates that they must now follow the instructions of the examination.
- Warn candidates that they must hand in any unauthorized material (including mobile phones, PM3 players, pagers and other products with text facilities).
This should also include any food or drink unless allowed by the Director.
- Tell the candidates that only material listed on the question paper is allowed in the examination room. You must not have on or near you any other material.
- Check that candidates have all the material they need for the examination.
- Give the papers to the candidates.
- Announce clearly to the candidates when they may begin to write their answers.
- Specify the time allowed for the paper.
- Remind candidates that they are not allowed to communicate in any way, ask for help from or give help to another candidate while they are in the examination room.
Malpractice in Examinations
Wherever possible, the invigilator should remove and keep any unauthorised material that a candidate may have in the examination room.
The invigilator has the authority to expel a candidate from the examination room if he/she has reasonable suspicion that malpractice may have been committed and in other circumstances if regarded as a essential by the Principal, but should only do this if it if necessary or if a candidate would disrupt other candidates by continuing to be in the examination room.
If candidates have committed malpractice, their examination may be cancelled, or they may be subject to other sanctions and penalties.
If you are found to have any material with you which are not allowed, even if you did not intend to use it, this will be reported to the principal. The normal practice in these circumstances is to disqualify the candidate from the paper or the subject.
Note: any instance of malpractice related to assignments or exams for external bodies will also be reported to the external body concerned by LCPS.
Other Forms of Malpractice
Malpractice is completely unacceptable and is taken very seriously by LCPS.
Attempting to or carrying out any malpractice activity is not permitted by LCPS or any of the accrediting bodies with whom LCPS is associated. The following are examples of malpractice by learners. This list is not exhaustive and other instances of malpractice may be considered by LCPS at its discretion:
- Plagiarism- by copying and passing off, as the learner’s own, the whole or part of another person’s work, thoughts, inventions and/or discoveries whether published or not, with or without originator’s permission and without appropriately acknowledging the source.
- Collusion by working collaboratively with other learners to produce work that is submitted as individual learner work. Learners are not discouraged from teamwork as this is an essential key skill for many sectors and subject areas, but the use of minutes, allocating tasks, agreeing outcomes, etc are an essential part of teamwork and this must be made clear to learners.
- Impersonation by pretending to be someone else to produce the work for another or arranging for another to take one’s place in an assessment/examination/test.
- Fabrication of results and/or evidence
- Failing to abide by the instructions or advice of an assessor, a supervisor, an invigilator, or any LCPS conditions in relation to the assessment/examination/test rules, regulations, and security.
- Misuse of assessment/examination material
- Introduction and/or use of unauthorised material contrary to the requirements of supervised assessment/examination/test conditions, for example: notes, study guides, personal organisers, calculators
- Use of dictionaries when prohibited, personal stereos, mobile phones, or other similar electronic devices.
- Obtaining, receiving, exchanging, or passing on information which could be assessment/examination/test related (or the attempt to) by means of talking or written papers/notes during supervised assessment/examination/test conditions.
- Behaving in such a way as to undermine the integrity of the assessment/examination.
- The alteration of any results or documents, including certificates
- Cheating to gain an unfair advantage.
Malpractice Procedure
It is the responsibility of the Director or a nominee to carry out an investigation into allegations of malpractice.
If LCPS discovers or suspects anyone of malpractice, LCPS will make the accused fully aware at the earliest opportunity of the nature of the alleged malpractice and of the possible consequences should malpractice be proven. The alleged transgression will initially be investigated by the senior academic manager. The accused person will be given the opportunity to respond to the allegations made at this stage.
If agreement is reached and the malpractice is of relatively minor nature, the perpetrator will be given the opportunity to respond to the allegations made at this stage.
If agreement is reached and the malpractice is of relatively minor nature, the perpetrator will be given corrective advice accordingly.
Otherwise, if senior academic manager concludes that the malpractice is proven, the perpetrator will be advised in writing of the penalty to be applied. He/she will also be advised that it is possible to appeal against the decision and or the penalty.
Appeals will be heard by the Academic Panel, consisting of members of the academic manager. The accused person has the right to present their case to the Panel and to be accompanies by a representative of their choice.
If the Panel concludes that the malpractice is proven, the perpetrator will be advised in writing of the penalty to be applied. He/she will also be advised that it is possible to appeal against the decision and/or the penalty to the Director.
The Director will investigate of the alleged malpractice and the decision thereof will be final.
Penalties and Sanctions
On exhaustion of the above-mentioned investigative process, the person accused of malpractice will be informed whether or not the allegation is considered to be well founded. If the allegation is well founded, disciplinary action will be taken against the person concerned.
Depending on the extent malpractice and the circumstances relating thereto a proven transgression may be liable to one of the following penalties:
- Partial resubmission of any written work/assignment
- Complete resubmission of any written work/assignment
- Cancellation of the specific exam results
- Retake of the exam at some future date
Depending on the circumstances and the seriousness of the malpractice, this may result in expulsion from the college.
