Number of students caught cheating in 2024 State exams more than double that of 2023

Ken Foxe

The number of students caught cheating in their Leaving Cert and Junior Cert exams has more than doubled in the space of a year.

The State Examinations Commission (SEC) said 86 results had been withheld during 2024’s Leaving Cert cycle compared to only 39 the year before.

Similarly, 24 Junior Cycle exam scores were permanently withheld after last year’s exams, well over double the figure of 10 from 2023.

The SEC said that while they would not provide details of individual breaches, results were withheld for a variety of reasons.

These included possession of notes and unauthorised use of mobile phones, or other electronic devices including smart watches, in exam halls.

Some of the cheating incidents were uncovered by the inclusion of “extraneous material” with an exam script while there were also cases where papers from different students were almost identical.

The SEC said the exam process was treated with the “utmost confidentiality” and on that basis, only overall figures without details of school or gender would be released.

They said for the 2024 Leaving Cert cycles, along with the 86 results permanently withheld, there were a further 12 that had been provisionally withheld.

These ‘provisional’ cases have not yet been decided “pending further communication with the schools and candidates concerned.”

The SEC said strict guidelines were in place for all students sitting state exams including a ban on bringing in notes or electronic devices.

Attempting to help another student, or copy from another pupil, are also prohibited as are efforts to contact somebody outside the exam hall.

A spokesman for the State Examinations Commission said clear procedures were in place to investigate and deal with cases of non-compliance with regulations.

He said: “In the interest of being fair to all candidates, the SEC must be satisfied that marks awarded have been gained fairly and will investigate any suggestion, suspicion, or allegation of cheating.

“This is essential in order to uphold the integrity of the Irish State examinations system and to underpin equity and fairness within the system in order to enable all candidates to display their achievements on an equal footing.”

The SEC said the most common penalty was the withholding of marks in a particular subject but that in more serious cases, withholding of all results or “debarring from repeating” were also options.