Students take mobile phones into exams as they feel ‘anxious’ without them, Exam Officers say
Students do not take mobile phones into exams because they want to cheat, Exam Officers have said, but because they “feel anxious” when separated from their devices.
The number of penalties given to GCSE and A-level students for taking phones into exam halls increased by 22% last year compared to 2017.
Research commissioned by the exams regulator Ofqual found students “simply don’t wish to be without their mobile phones”, because they are “likely to be the most expensive possession of many students and they are concerned about loss or damage”.
One Exam Officer said: “It is true I think that most students who do bring their phones into the exam room have no intention of using them to cheat or actually switching them on.
“It is almost like a comfort blanket and they feel anxious when apart from their phones.”
You can read more on this story in the Independent.