Number of Oxford University students investigated for cheating doubled in lockdown

The number of students at Oxford University being investigated for cheating doubled while lockdown restrictions and remote learning were in place, new figures show.

The number of cases increased from 35 in 2018/19 to 69 in 2019/20 and then 77 during 2020/21.

Since the end of the pandemic, the number of cases has decreased again to 32 in 2021/22.

Oxford University said these numbers are a ‘small fraction’ of the numbers taking exams.

For example, in 2020/21, there were 77 investigations out of 55,000 exams sat.

While the Medical Sciences Division had the lowest number of cases at 19.

A spokesperson for Oxford University said: ‘In the 2021/22 academic year, the majority of Oxford exams took place in-person.

‘The university is committed to the highest standards of assessments, regardless of the format they take.’

The spokesperson added the figures represent a ‘very small fraction of the 55,000 exams sat’.