Is it called cheating if you’re not caught?
“Please turn off your cell phones and be seated,” I patiently exclaimed as the candidates entered the room. I had my assistants keep a sharp eye on all students who sat down and awkwardly examined their surroundings. After years of experience as a coordinator, I could easily pinpoint the bold ones – individuals who would literally think of the most intuitive ways of concealing materials that would assist them during the test. The classic scrap of paper under the bottle, or the essay written on the arm hidden within their sleeves. Some kids have gone so far as to write within the interior of their glasses, around the frame itself. The ingenuity involved is worthy of praise as regards the effort made to conceal the information itself. Nothing though would prepare me for what I was about to witness.
In English Language Exams, the most common belief is that a student who is willing to cheat would more than likely look over his shoulder, discretely examining another candidate’s answers. This is of course true to a degree; however, you will be baffled by the reality of the situation. ‘Writing’ is seen as the most demanding and daunting of tasks. A productive skill that is the culmination of years of studying and practicing the language. It is this segment which has condemned the majority of test takers. Thus, students would go to extremes to ensure their success.
Text by: Katherine Reilly
Never judge a book by its cover. Racist stereotypes falsely lead us to suspect individuals who would be believed by many to stray from exam procedures and violate the proceedings. Intense mascara, chains, ripped jeans, leather or even brightly colored dyed hair attract the most attention. As coordinator, I usually disregard such appearances. I can attest to the fact that people who express themselves beyond the norm are in no need of assistance and many a time would refrain from cheating. On the contrary, I had my eyes on a girl wearing a cardigan who intensely fiddled with her fingers. A nervous reaction I initially thought. As the proctors were pacing up and down the aisles, supervising the candidates during the test, they all but ignored the candidate in question. Why wasn’t she focusing on the test? The writing segment dictates the need to concentrate to the maximum of one’s efforts. Her fiddling was also annoying, to the point I started worrying about her well-being. After a few minutes, she started writing at an alarming speed. Thank the heavens she found inspiration.
After each paragraph, however, she would stop once again to fiddle with her fingers; rather her fingernails as I later noticed. Could it be possible? Writing is a segment which theoretically can’t be forged beforehand unless the task itself is adaptable. As the topic had to do with technology, thoughts flooded my mind. A standard introduction as well as a conclusion could be easily prepared and adapted for the exams. If a cheater were discrete and did so without getting caught, the chances of pulling it off were high. I would know as a teacher myself, there are actually whole essays which can be tailored to meet the needs of a variety of topics.
Long story short, I approached the young lady whose hands were nervously shaking. She seemed to be wearing fake nails, barely sticking on her own natural nails with double sided tape. Her sweaty hands and the frequent removal to read the texts she had prepared under them made it all too obvious, as they were falling apart at the seams. My suspicions were valid. I had to unfortunately take action. Before doing anything, she burst into tears and we discretely escorted her outside to catch her breath.
It goes without saying that we are all adamantly against any form of cheating during exams, however, one can’t help but wonder the emotional state of the candidate and the reasons which led her to commit such a vile act in the first place. Have we been unintentionally instilling our students with fear of failure? The notion of being excluded from any future professional prospect is admittedly a terrifying one. Having our students invested in obtaining a certificate as the ultimate goal of their long-term studies just adds fuel to fire. Shouldn’t the command of the language itself be the centerpiece of their education? The only ones not to blame are the students themselves. Pointing fingers at one another also won’t help. The stem of the problem lies deeply ingrained within the structure of society itself, leading to degree inflation, thus rendering exams an integral necessity of achievement, yet a detrimental element to learning.
Change is a necessity long overdue. Instead of intimidating our students in the educational environment with countless hours of grammar repetition and rote learning, we must have the lessons adapted to their specific educational needs. Help them shine and promote their strengths via the language itself, boosting their confidence in doing so. If I were to speak on personal experience, I myself admittedly have issues with memorization and the stress of exams alone was a detriment to my progress. I was too afraid to cheat but so desperately wanted to. Let’s not forget that many educators themselves have admitted to actually cheating as students in the past. The reasons being their indifference to the lessons, which were uninspiring and lacked any form of educational challenge. Mind you, we’re not endorsing cheating, rather acknowledging the root of the problem.
As for the girl in question? After kindly requesting approval from the exam center, she was allowed a second chance to complete the task, without any assistance. She faced no reprimands in any fashion as the act alone proved how devastated she was. We are all too aware of how emotionally compromised our students are during exams. It would be an understatement to say that the pressure they experience is beyond their control, rendering our intervention a necessary act. Compassion is key and can make a huge difference in the long run. Don’t forget that being an educator goes way beyond our ability to teach, rather our capacity to support our students when they need us the most.
