Exams

Students warned over hoax exam papers for sale

GCSE and A-level exams began this week

teacher assessment exam

School pupils have been warned not to be “distracted” by hoaxers peddling “fake” exam papers on social media.

Ofqual, the exams regulator, has updated its rolling blog with a warning about fake papers, as students begin to sit the first formal exams since 2019.

GCSE and A-level exams began this week across England.

In its blog, Ofqual warned that hoaxers were “trying to sell fake exam papers on social media”.

“We are advising students not to be distracted by these hoaxes and reminding them that anyone trying to sell or buy such fakes could be disqualified from their qualifications.”

It follows similar warnings in previous years over the practice.

In early March 2020, before exams were cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic, then Ofqual boss Sally Collier wrote to heads to warn that “sharing exam papers or questions, real or fake, could result in disqualification”.

She told leaders to prepare pupils for the possibility that claims about their exams could circulate online.

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