The head of England's exams regulator has warned that a new generation of wearable devices – including smart glasses that project text onto the inside of the lens and invisible earpieces – could make cheating in exams far harder to detect.
Sir Ian Bauckham, chief regulator of the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual), said invigilators were being trained to spot covert equipment such as smart glasses, hidden earpieces and pens with built-in screens. He made the warning as more than a million pupils prepare to sit GCSE and A-level exams this summer.
“Ofqual chief warns smart glasses, earpieces, and pens with screens could make exam cheating harder to detect.”
Speaking on the Today programme, Sir Ian described “stories I hear directly from schools” of students using sophisticated gadgets to gain an unfair advantage. “Devices like supposedly hidden earpieces, smart glasses that play text covertly on the inside of the glasses that only the wearer can see, and even biros that have got apparently invisible mini video screens built into them,” he said. “Some of these devices are being marketed openly on the internet specifically as aids to cheating.”
Data from Ofqual shows that the use of mobile phones and smart devices has been the most common form of exam malpractice in every summer exam series since 2018. Last year, it accounted for 44% of all student malpractice cases – 2,225 incidents associated with GCSE, AS and A-levels.
Sir Ian said the regulator had to act “really fast because technology is changing fast”. On an Ofqual podcast, he warned that the next wave of devices could worsen existing problems: “We are all familiar with mobile phones but there are smartwatches that we are increasingly seeing on young people that are fully internet connected… I understand that in the pipeline there are things like smartglasses that will play text across the inside of the lens that only students can see.”
He said internet-enabled gadgets including invisible earpieces and smart glasses were already being advertised. The regulator also revealed that GCSEs and A-level courses in England were being scrutinised over potential AI use in students’ coursework, after teachers said they were struggling to detect it.
Sir Ian stressed that the “vast majority” of students “wouldn’t dream of cheating”. But he warned that those who do face severe consequences: “In the worst cases, they could lose all their A-level grades. That’s future-altering.” He added that the probability of getting caught was high, and that exam boards were providing training and guidance to invigilators and exams officers on how to identify suspicious devices and behaviour in exam halls.
“Our qualification system is a real national asset,” Sir Ian said. “We have to keep on top of this to stop this national asset being undermined, because that is not in anyone’s interests.”