King’s of cheating: Figures reveal academic misconduct

Over 300 students cheated last year – and they were just the ones that were caught

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After a roller-coaster year of rising to one of the top 20 universities in the world, to somehow sinking to 29th place in national league tables, King’s has bounced right back to the top of the charts – for cheating.

Today’s figures, obtained by The Tab under the Freedom of Information Act, show a staggering 302 cases of cheating referred to the Examination misconduct committee in the last academic year, 2013-’14.

This proves we truly are the Kings (and Queens) of cheating.

KCL is one of lowest ranking universities for subtlety

Of the 302 cases last year, 189 were for plagiarism and collusion, and 113 for exam hall offences.

The Uni defines cheating as: “including but not limited to plagiarism, conferring with others during an examination, introducing unauthorised material into an examination, impersonation, removal of a script of examination, and collusion.”

It should be noted that not a single member of staff was found colluding with students in at least the last 5 years – so this isn’t a case of students staying behind after lectures, offering ‘favours’ for a better grade (or at least not a case of being caught).

An example of the figures acquired

The crushing results varied by department – figures from 2009 showed Social Science students proving their Machiavellianism by consistently topping the plagiarism and collusion charts.

Reckless cheaters in the Natural and Mathematical Sciences department boasted the same achievement in exam hall offences.

This probably reflects the relative ease of writing an equation on your hand instead of drawing out allied strategic movements on your leg.

But before you start glancing nervously at the baggy trousers and worn out trainers of a maths students, or speeding up as you walk through the War Studies department, remember that every year more than 24,000  students take exams. And only 1 in 200 commit offences.

Asha strongly regretted not shaving her legs before the exam

Even for those caught cheating, it’s not necessarily over.

Taking the year 2011-2012, of 148 cases referred to the Examinations Misconduct Committee, only 26 students were expelled.

The rest received other penalties like mark cancellation and capped resubmissions at 40 per cent.

The crucial question left to ask is – do we cheat more or do we just suck at getting away with it?