Malpractice in GCSE, AS and A level: summer 2025 exam series
Source: gov.uk (2025-12-11)

Number of cases of malpractice for GCSE, AS and A level in the summer exam series.

Key headlines

The key headlines for proven cases of malpractice for which a penalty was issued in GCSE, AS and A level qualifications for the summer 2025 exam series were:
- The number of proven cases of malpractice involving students decreased compared with the previous year. There were 5,025 cases of malpractice involving students in summer 2025, down 2.5% from 5,155 cases in summer 2024. For context there were 17.5 and 17.6 million GCSE, AS and A level entries (at component level) in summer 2025 and summer 2024 respectively.
- In summer 2025, 4,735 individual students had at least one penalty issued as a result of malpractice. This represents 0.3% of the overall 1,376,480 GCSE, AS and A level students with results issued (or pending at the time of data collection) in summer 2025. This is similar to summer 2024 where 0.4% of the overall 1,349,260 GCSE, AS and A level students had at least one penalty issued as a result of malpractice (4,975 individual students).
- For student malpractice, 44.3% of all cases involved mobile phone and other communication device offences. This continued to be the most common offence type for student malpractice, with 2,225 cases resulting in penalties for this type of offence in summer 2025, compared with 2,140 (41.5% of all student malpractice cases) in summer 2024.
- The number of cases of malpractice (including maladministration) involving school or college staff increased compared with the previous year, driven mostly by a rise in maladministration cases (a less serious form of malpractice). 465 cases of malpractice included members of staff in summer 2025, up from 245 in summer 2024. For context, according to statistics published on the school workforce in England from November 2024 (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2024), there were over 373,000 full time equivalent teachers and support staff in state funded secondary schools.
- There were 200 cases of school or college level malpractice (including maladministration) in summer 2025, up from 145 in summer 2024, driven mostly by a rise in maladministration cases (a less serious form of malpractice). In summer 2025, 175 individual schools or colleges had at least one penalty issued as a result of malpractice, which represents 2.9% of the overall 6,010 schools and colleges with results issued (or pending at the time of data collection) for GCSEs, AS and A levels in that year. This is similar to summer 2024 when 2.4% of the overall 5,950 schools and colleges had at least one penalty issued as a result of malpractice (140 schools and colleges).
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