Department launches exam cheat investigation

THE Department of Education is investigating allegations that students copied projects during the Civil, Social and Political (CSPE) exam.

The grades of 650 Junior Cert students, who submitted similar civics projects, are being withheld pending an investigation.

The department believes candidates may have e-mailed projects to one another or copied them verbatim, thinking the duplication would not be spotted.

Under strict department rules, students who are found guilty of cogging could lose all their exam grades. But the department has decided to withhold the CSPE results only, pending the outcome of their probe.

School principals in 41 schools are still questioning individual students identified by those correcting the scripts.

The "action project" component of the CSPE exam carries 60% of marks. The remaining 40% are for the written paper which was taken on Friday, June 7.

The probe focuses on the project element only.

The Department of Education and Science said last night that reports received from the examiners marking CSPE papers identified "a significant level of similarity" in the work presented by candidates from a number of schools.

The department has written to all of the schools concerned providing details of the candidates and the issues raised by the examiners.

"This is the standard procedure followed in any situation where such a concern is raised by examiners in any subject," a department spokesperson said.

"In this way schools and candidates are given every opportunity to respond to the issues before the department concludes what action, if any, is required."

In the interest of the candidates concerned, the department added it is anxious to complete the probe as quickly as possible once replies have been received from the schools concerned.

The guidelines and circulars issued to schools about the project element of the exam are strict. They stress that the action projects "must be the candidate's individual work".

In a circular issued as recently as the end of last year, schools were asked to remind candidates of the penalties that can apply to copying in an examination.