Cheating in exams using latest high-tech smart devices poses a growing threat that must be tackled quickly and not underestimated, Ofqual’s chief has warned in a new podcast. 

Chief Regulator Sir Ian Bauckham CBE’s comments come amid concerns about latest gadgets including invisible earpieces and smart glasses being advertised on social media, as more than 1.3 million students sit their exams.

Speaking in the first episode of Ofqual’s new podcast series Can I Just Qualify That? the head of England’s exams regulator highlighted how the threat of cheating in the exam hall is not limited to mobile phones. 

He said: “There are of course other devices, there are smart watches and smart all sorts of things. There might be smart spectacles next… that will play text across the inside of the lens that only the student can see.”

He added that Ofqual had to “move really fast, because technology is moving fast”.

Asked about the reality of students avoiding detection and getting their devices into exam halls, he said: “We shouldn’t underestimate the challenge involved here.” 

The Chief Regulator welcomed government measures. He said: “I was really pleased to read that the government has now made the decision to require schools to have no mobile phones on school premises. It is then much easier for invigilators to enforce that rule. 

“While students are allowed to have mobile phones in school but not in the exam, you have a point of tension, a point of conflict.” 

His comments come as Ofqual’s own data showed that mobile phone and smart device offences accounted for 2,225 malpractice cases in the summer 2025 exam series – 44.3% of all student malpractice. 

It has been the most common category of student cheating in every summer series since 2018. 

Students who take their phones or devices into exam halls risk losing marks or disqualification, preventing them from obtaining a qualification, Sir Ian has warned. 

Sir Ian also uses the podcast series’ first episode to speak at length about the future of education and assessment in the age of AI, including the growing difficulties of detecting AI in coursework. 

The Can I Just Qualify That? new podcast series will see Sir Ian and Ofqual colleagues explore and explain the world of qualifications and assessment.

The first episode of the podcast will drop on Thursday 4 June at 7:00am. You can listen on YouTube
or through your chosen podcast streaming service. 

Notes to editors

You can access statistics on malpractice in GCSE, AS and A Level qualifications for the summer 2025 exam series here.

For media enquiries, contact Ofqual’s press office at media@ofqual.gov.uk or phone 0300 303 3014.