Leaving Cert results withheld for 62 students over suspected cheating

A total of 62 students have had some or all of their Leaving Cert results withheld by the State Examinations Commission (SEC). this year due to suspected cheating or breaching of exam rules.

While the commission did not comment on the detail of individual cases, exam rules state that students may not aid another candidate or bring unauthorised items into exam halls such as mobile phones, electronic devices, smartwatches or notes.

In addition, a further 10 students’ results have been withheld on a “without prejudice” basis, pending further communication with the schools and candidates concerned.

The number of “permanently withheld” results — 62 — is more than double the 26 results that were permanently withheld from students who sat the 2021 Leaving Cert. However, the number of candidates who sat last year’s exams was much lower due to the choice of predicted grades or exam results, or both.

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In 2019, a total of 57 Leaving Cert results were permanently withheld, down from 72 results in 2018, 57 in 2019 and 100 in 2016.

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In relation to the students whose results are being withheld this year, a spokesman for the SEC stated that “due to the small number of candidates involved, for privacy reasons, we do not provide any regional or gender breakdown”.

The number of students in breach of exam regulations this year is a small fraction of the 60,210 candidates who registered for the Leaving Cert. A further 3,173 candidates registered for the final year exams in the Leaving Certificate Applied.

A SEC spokesman said: “The most common penalty applied is the withholding of the result in the subject in question. Where a more serious breach of the regulations occurs such as copying in more than one subject, withholding of all results and/or debarring from repeating the examination may be applied.

He added: “Withholding of results occurs as a consequence of a candidate attempting to gain advantage in the examination by means which contravene the regulations for the conduct of candidates during examinations as set out in the rules and programmes for secondary schools.”

The commission said cases of suspected cheating can come to light in a number of ways. These include where an examiner may detect similar work from more than one candidate when correcting work from the same centre or an examination superintendent may detect a candidate using prohibited items such as books, mobile phones etc or attempting to contact another candidate in the centre.

The SEC spokesman said: “The principles of natural justice are applied when following up such cases. Details of the evidence available, such as superintendent’s reports, confiscated material or items, notes or work prepared that exhibits evidence of collusion, is given to the candidate through his/her school.”

He said the candidate “is invited to offer a response to the evidence presented and the school authorities are also free to offer comment if they consider it appropriate”.

“The final decision is communicated in writing to the candidate again via his/her school. A decision to withhold a result is open to appeal. While every effort is made to conclude an investigation prior to the issue of the examination results, it is not always possible to do so,” the spokesman said.

“In these circumstances results are withheld on a without prejudice basis pending further communication with the schools and candidates concerned.”