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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

cheating on exam tomorrow

127 replies

elerng · 07/01/2021 21:06

DD has an 11 plus exam tomorrow, it is for a private school and academic scholarships will be awarded based on the results.

The exam has been sent to all parents today to print out for the child tomorrow. The children will sit the exam being watched by teachers via zoom, and complete the printed out paper. The parents then need to take the paper away and send it to the school.

DH and I have different views on if cheating will happen. I don't think parents will cheat, I have to believe all parents will respect the difficult circumstances however DH does think others will cheat.

So I guess AIBU to think parents won't cheat on behalf of the child?

OP posts:
daisypond · 07/01/2021 21:20

Yes, people will cheat.

Pixie2015 · 07/01/2021 21:20

They will treat - there’s a school near us that fiddles numbers after input from prep school teachers - unfairness of life sadly. Think I would be happier for my child to do it on their own for achievement and those that cheat or rules are bent for will hopefully get their just rewards

Frouby · 07/01/2021 21:21

Why can't they just download just before the exam starts? It's like they want people to cheat! Wonder if there are any deliberately difficult questions a child wouldn't be expected to know?

RainbowRaine · 07/01/2021 21:21

Of course they will, some parents are desperate and will do anything to get their child into the school of choice.

Clymene · 07/01/2021 21:21

Given the behaviour of some parents before the exam and after finding out their child t I've see , I can 100% guarantee that some parents will cheat.

Icenii · 07/01/2021 21:22

I'd be worried about not cheating and letting my integrity get in the way of my child getting a place by getting the lowest score!

hiredandsqueak · 07/01/2021 21:24

I'd say a good sixty per cent will cheat. Either by going through it beforehand or completing and submitting a second paper later. It seems a haphazard way to carry out a test surely they could have had an online test the children logged into.

MrsWonderland · 07/01/2021 21:26

We are in the middle of 11+ and papers are either shared live in Teams chat (and invigilated) or sent minutes prior to the exam start, invigilated and then need to be sent back by pdf within 10 minutes of the exam finishing. Which school is sending it the day before. Seems bizarre.

Haaris123 · 07/01/2021 21:26

I am shocked.. This is wrong on so many levels. If the school is willing to have a teacher online for each child than the best option would be to provide paper online and then snap the finished paper so it ends fairly for all the participants. If you can contact the school and raise this with them I am sure they would accommodate and make it a level playing field to a degree..

ScrapThatThen · 07/01/2021 21:27

There will be a lot of children sitting 'one last practice paper' tonight with help that turns out to be surprisingly similar to the paper... At the very least.

unchienandalusia · 07/01/2021 21:28

We had this today but the paper was sent through 15 mins before exam was to start and we had a set time limit to send it back. Still reckon some will have cheated. No zoom though. DS's tutor says the school will definitely be able to Suss if parents have cheated.

WeAreShiningStars · 07/01/2021 21:29

Many are looking over the exams with their children tonight, no doubt.

It's shit, but that's what's happening.

lococorona · 07/01/2021 21:31

I don't doubt that people will cheat. I personally wouldn't as I'd be worried my child would do much better than their natural aptitude would allow and be concerned that they'd forever be playing catch up.

NoOneOwnsTheRainbow · 07/01/2021 21:32

They're probably cheating right now. Enough people hire tutors to get their kids through this exam that they'll grab any advantage they can find.

Daphnise · 07/01/2021 21:36

I'm afraid you will have to sink to the low level others will sink to. They will do this without even a thought.

So you'll have to carefully cheat.

I wonder if the teachers will ask the kids privately what happened!?

Lucieintheskye · 07/01/2021 21:38

They will cheat, don't be naive.

But those children will struggle in school and perhaps have to change school if they can't meet the expectations of private school.

It isn't fair to the children, but I'm sure they will do wonderfully wherever they are.

Australia77 · 07/01/2021 21:41

I am shocked everyone thinks people will cheat! I would never ever cheat, particularly on something like that. I didn't think I was more ethical than the normal person but there is no way I would cheat and I can't imagine others cheating...I am clearly naive

tttigress · 07/01/2021 21:43

This is a really bad way of doing it, people will cheat.

Cocomarine · 07/01/2021 21:44

Of course people would cheat!
I’d cheat. I’d re-write the paper - e.g. maths - same calculations different numbers - and give it as practice so I that I knew that my child was comfortable with all the calculations.

Peachered · 07/01/2021 21:45

I reckon tomorrow they will be given a totally different test / exam...

And then the teachers will see who flaps because it wasn't what they were expecting, and who is calm because they had no expectations.

That will be the entrance exam.

JanewaysBun · 07/01/2021 21:45

Most people would cheat!

LivingMyBestLife2020 · 07/01/2021 21:45

I hope it’s a test on parents. No idea how, but maybe a new paper half an hour before, some trick questions or very unambiguous questions that only a coached child could answer.
Good luck to your child OP

tttigress · 07/01/2021 21:46

@MrsWonderland

We are in the middle of 11+ and papers are either shared live in Teams chat (and invigilated) or sent minutes prior to the exam start, invigilated and then need to be sent back by pdf within 10 minutes of the exam finishing. Which school is sending it the day before. Seems bizarre.
I would have thought this was the right approach (or maybe something even stricter)
Peachered · 07/01/2021 21:46

11 plus exam tomorrow, it is for a private school and academic scholarships will be awarded based on the results.

However, it's very weird that private schools awarded places, and particularly scholarships solely based on a test paper. It's usually a mixture and a few of reports, papers, scholarship interviews, SLT interviews and group work in my experience - most of those can still go ahead, although some will be virtual of course.

wingardium8 · 07/01/2021 21:48

And I thought the ‘invigorated in Teams while doing online test’ system was open to abuse - this is absolutely crazy!

Yes, some parents will cheat I’m afraid, because they will be able to coincidentally ‘revise’ the right stuff tonight even if they don’t go to the extremes of filling it in themselves.

So sad, I’d be furious that the school has put so little thought into something so important to the children. In fact, I’d be tempted to boycott the school on principle, but appreciate it’s not that simple in reality Sad