What is candidate Malpractice?
JCQ define malpractice as any act, default or practice which is in breach of CCEA and/or regulatory requirements which:
- compromises, attempts to compromise or may compromise the process of assessment, the integrity of any qualification or the validity of a result or certificate; and/or
- damages the authority, reputation or credibility of any awarding body or school or officer, employee or agent of any awarding body or school.
Candidate malpractice therefore is any action you may take that could call into question the integrity or authenticity of your exam or assessment or that may mean the outcome of your assessment is not a true reflection of your individual ability and effort.
Malpractice can happen during any exam or assessment. This includes while you are:
- preparing and authenticating controlled assessment or coursework;
- carrying out practical assessment work;
- compiling portfolios of assessment evidence; or
- completing your exams.
All allegations of suspected malpractice must be reported to CCEA and investigated by your school/ college to ensure the integrity and authenticity of the assessment and to be fair to all candidates.
Malpractice can be reported to CCEA by your school/college, another school/college, those marking assessments/exams, other students, and members of the public. CCEA also monitors social media to check that information you share does not break the rules.
Committing malpractice can have very serious consequences for your results in a qualification. You could lose all marks in an assessment unit or be disqualified from a qualification.
Parents/Guardians and GCSE/ALevel students should familiarise themselves with all rules and regulations regarding malpractice.
