- UK government says cheating in exams using smart devices poses major threat
- Students will soon be able to resort to using smart glasses and invisible headphones
- It’s not just a concern in the UK, with cases rising in China and the US.
The UK government has warned that the rise of smart technology could give students more reasons to cheat in their GCSE, AS and A-level exams, and the threat should not be overlooked.
Ofqual’s chief regulator, Sir Ian Bauckham, warns that devices such as hidden earbuds and smart glasses advertised to students via social media could overtake phones as a means of cheating. Speaking to BBC Radio 4, he shared the following:
“We’re hearing stories (and I hear this firsthand in schools when I travel around the country) of devices like supposedly hidden headphones, smart glasses that covertly play text on the inside of the glasses that only the wearer can see, and even pens. [pens] that have seemingly invisible mini video screens built in. “In the worst case scenario, they could lose all their high school grades. “That alters the future,” he added.
Additionally, Bauckham appeared on the Ofqual programme. Can I just rate that? podcast program, where he revealed that the government has had to “act very quickly, because technology advances quickly.” He also said that exam invigilators are now being trained to detect this type of smart technology.
Since 2018, the rise in smartphone exam misconduct has grown substantially, and last summer alone, 2,225 cases were reported in which smartphones and other devices were used to cheat, resulting in 545 cases in which students were disqualified.
Bauckham argues that having access to mobile phones in schools has opened the doors to a new wave of technology that allows cheating in exams and, according to his recent warnings, will become increasingly difficult to control. That said, this threat is not just limited to UK schools.
Global education systems must take action
This is not the first time that smart devices have made their way to the exam hall.
In regions like China, smart glasses are becoming a popular way to cheat on college exams, allowing students to scan questions, and then the device will display the answers on the lens, Rest of World reported a few weeks ago.
Students are even going out of their way to rent their smart glasses to other students to wear during exams for between $6 and $12 a day, the outlet says, and second-hand online marketplaces like Xianyu are becoming an increasingly popular place for students to get their devices.
Using smart glasses to cheat on exams is one thing, but AI is another growing problem in educational spaces. Not only is AI becoming increasingly difficult to detect in courses written in the UK, it is also prevalent in universities across the pond.
In May, Ars Technica reported that 30% of Princeton students cheat on exams using AI, but this may be attributed to the institution’s outdated exam codes. The outlet shared that because professors do not proctor exams (the university still adheres to a 19th century regulation), it is easier for students to cheat and the number of cases is only increasing.
According to a survey of Princeton seniors conducted in 2025, nearly 30% of students admitted to cheating during an exam. However, despite this figure, almost 45% of students said they had seen their classmates cheat, but decided not to report it, even though students must commit to reporting bad practices.
However, the university will soon clamp down on this. A few weeks ago, Princeton faculty members voted in a referendum to include mandatory proctoring of in-person exams in Princeton law, and it was a landslide victory with only one member against. The regulation will come into force on July 1.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to receive news, reviews and opinions from our experts in your feeds. Be sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form and receive regular updates from us on WhatsApp also.
