Cheating and Misconduct on the Rise Across Scotland’s Schools, Data Shows
Scotland has seen a notable increase in cases of students breaching exam regulations during the 2024–2025 academic year. According to data from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), students committed a total of 207 instances of cheating or inappropriate behaviour in national qualification exams. This represents an increase of around twenty per cent compared with 173 cases recorded the previous year.
The figures reveal a growing diversity in cheating methods. Cases of collusion, where candidates collaborate with others, rose from twelve to twenty-nine. Incidents of completing coursework outside supervised conditions also increased, while the use of prohibited items became more common. Cases involving mobile phone use rose from forty to forty-seven, and instances of bringing notes into exams increased from nineteen to twenty-three. There was also a rise in candidates displaying disruptive behaviour during exams and adding inappropriate content to exam papers.
Despite ongoing concerns about the use of artificial intelligence in academic misconduct, such cases have actually declined. The number of plagiarism incidents involving AI fell from fifty-one in 2023–2024 to forty-three in 2024–2025. Nevertheless, plagiarism remained the most common form of cheating, with sixty-nine cases recorded overall.
The SQA imposed a range of sanctions in response to the breaches: ninety-five exam components were cancelled, sixty-one students received formal warnings, twenty-nine students had their marks adjusted, and nineteen awards were withdrawn entirely. Officials emphasised that all recorded cases account for only zero point zero four per cent of total exam entries, underlining that efforts to protect academic integrity will continue.