Ofqual has called on exam boards to do more to stop students from bringing mobile phones into exams or using AI to cheat in coursework.
The exams watchdog is warning of a rise in instances of students breaking exam rules. It has also highlighted significant concerns among teachers about AI usage.
Chief regulator Sir Ian Bauckham has written to AQA, OCR, Pearson Edexcel and WJEC, asking them to outline preventative measures for this type of cheating, and how they aim to respond to such incidents.
Sending out ‘strong signal’
“In cases where malpractice, whether misuse of AI, taking devices into exams or any other forms of potential cheating, is detected, I expect the sanctions you have at your disposal to be fully used to give a strong signal that malpractice will not be tolerated,” Sir Ian writes.
There has been a “noticeable long-term rise” in students breaching rules in exams, he added.
In summer 2025, 44 per cent of all exam malpractice cases involved phones or similar devices, up from 42 per cent in 2024, Ofqual figures show.
Exam boards are required by Ofqual to do everything they can to prevent malpractice. They must also, when needed, provide guidance to schools on how to deal with it.
“I must now ask you to strengthen your arrangements so that you can more effectively identify, control and reduce the incidence of this form of potential malpractice,” Sir Ian says in his letter.
The number of cases reported to Ofqual of AI being used in coursework remains relatively low, he adds, but there is “significant concern” among teachers and leaders about the real extent of AI use.
Sir Ian asks exam boards to take steps to improve awareness of what constitutes misuse of AI. He also wants them to improve detection and prevention measures, which should include more rigorous authentication of coursework.
There was a total of 5,025 cases of exam malpractice involving students in summer 2025, slightly down from 5,155 in summer 2024.
Yesterday, Ofqual was told by AQA, England’s biggest exam board, that it risks “moving too slowly” in rolling out digital assessments.
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