Claims of cheating face 67 students

The State Examinations Commission is continuing to investigate alleged cheating involving 67 students.

The students were given their results yesterday, but only pending further investigation by the commission. The commission has already decided to withhold results from 30 students because of alleged cheating.

Some of the cases involved so called Link Modules in the Leaving Cert Applied course, where students often work together on project work. But the commission only withhold results if there is evidence of serious wrongdoing.

One source said yesterday he had come across cases where the exam book used by students to answer questions actually included photocopied notes.

The commission said breaches of exam regulations can come about in several ways including:

An examination superintendent may detect a candidate using a book or other written work or attempting to contact another candidate in the centre;

An examiner may detect similar work from more than one candidate when correcting work from the same centre;

While marking an examination script, an examiner may discover memorandum, notes or paper brought in by a candidate in an attempt to gain an advantage in the examination;

The commission says it applies the principles of natural justice when following-up such cases.

Details of the evidence available - superintendents' reports, confiscated material, notes, work prepared that exhibits evidence of collusion - is given to the candidate through his/her school. The candidate is invited to respond to the evidence and the school authorities are free to comment if they consider it appropriate.