Introduction

What is malpractice and maladministration?

‘Malpractice’ and ‘maladministration’ are related concepts, the common theme of which is that they involve a failure to follow the rules of an examination or assessment. This policy and procedure uses the word ‘malpractice’ to cover both ‘malpractice’ and ‘maladministration’ and it means any act, default or practice which is:

• a breach of the Regulations
• a breach of awarding body requirements regarding how a qualification should be delivered
• a failure to follow established procedures in relation to a qualification

which:

• gives rise to prejudice to candidates
• compromises public confidence in qualifications
• compromises, attempts to compromise or may compromise the process of assessment, the integrity of any qualification or the validity of a result or certificate
• damages the authority, reputation or credibility of any awarding body or centre or any officer, employee or agent of any awarding body or centre 

Candidate malpractice

‘Candidate malpractice’ means malpractice by a candidate in connection with any examination or assessment, including the preparation and authentication of any controlled assessments, coursework or non-examination assessments, the presentation of any practical work, the compilation of portfolios of assessment evidence and the writing of any examination paper. 

Centre staff malpractice

‘Centre staff malpractice’ means malpractice committed by:

• a member of staff, contractor (whether employed under a contract of employment or a contract for services) or a volunteer at a centre; or
• an individual appointed in another capacity by a centre such as an invigilator, a Communication Professional, a Language Modifier, a practical assistant, a prompter, a reader or a

Suspected malpractice

For the purposes of this document, suspected malpractice means all alleged or suspected incidents of malpractice. 

Purpose of the policy

To confirm London PT College (LPTC) has:

• a written malpractice policy which covers all qualifications administered by the centre. The policy must detail how candidates are informed and advised to avoid committing malpractice in examinations/assessments, how suspected malpractice issues should be escalated within the centre and reported to the relevant awarding body. It must also acknowledge the use of AI (e.g. what AI is, when it may be used and how it should be acknowledged, the risks of using AI, what AI misuse is and how this will be treated as malpractice).

General principles

In accordance with the regulations LPTC will:

• Take all reasonable steps to prevent the occurrence of any malpractice (which includes maladministration) before, during and after examinations have taken place
• Inform the awarding body immediately of any alleged, suspected or actual incidents of malpractice or maladministration, involving a candidate or a member of staff, by completing the appropriate documentation
• As required by an awarding body, gather evidence of any instances of alleged or suspected malpractice (which includes maladministration) in accordance with the JCQ publication Suspected Malpractice – Policies and Procedures and provide such information and advice as the awarding body may reasonably require

Preventing malpractice

LPTC has in place:

• Robust processes to prevent and identify malpractice, as outlined in section 3 of the JCQ publication Suspected Malpractice: Policies and Procedures.
• This includes ensuring that all staff involved in the delivery/marking/administration of assessments and examinations understand the requirements for conducting these as specified in the following JCQ documents and any further awarding body guidance: General Regulations for Approved Centres 2025-2026; Instructions for conducting examinations (ICE) 2025-2026; Instructions for conducting coursework 2025-2026; Instructions for conducting non-examination assessments 2025-2026; Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments 2025-2026; A guide to the special consideration process 2025-2026; Suspected Malpractice: Policies and Procedures 2025-2026 (once published); Plagiarism in Assessments; AI Use in Assessments: Protecting the Integrity of Qualifications; A guide to the awarding bodies’ appeals processes effective from June 2025, Cambridge Handbook 2025. 

Informing and advising candidates how to avoid committing malpractice in examinations/assessments

LPTC will provide written and verbal communication to all public examination candidates advising them of their responsibilities within examinations and assessments, this will include information regarding the use of AI in assessments, authenticating their work, processes and software that may be used to assist marking staff  detect cases of plagiarism and AI use.

For candidates sitting formal written examinations, they will be invited to attend an online presentation which will include discussion and information specifically relating to avoiding malpractice, and the procedure / sanctions where any suspected malpractice is discovered.

AI Use in Assessments

LPTC does not generally encourage the use of AI in any NEA work, however marking staff/tutors will discuss with candidates any benefits / issues related to the use of AI in prep work within their specific subjects and re-iterate that all AI references / work must be properly referenced

Information and infographics provided by Awarding and Regulatory bodies will be made available to all candidates entering qualifications which include NEA components specific to use of AI in formally assessed NEA

LPTC will provide information and training materials to marking staff/tutors including policies surrounding the supporting use of AI for marking purposes highlighting that marking staff do not use artificial intelligence (AI) as the sole means of marking candidates’ work and review materials annually.

LPTC acceptance of entry application for qualifications including NEA components will include an academic integrity clause covering the use of AI and how/when misuse of AI will be treated and reported to Awarding Bodies as malpractice.

LPTC will make use of plagiarism and AI detectors as one method of checking candidate submissions for NEA components.

Identification and reporting of malpractice

All incidents of suspected or actual malpractice will be reported to the relevant Awarding Body for decision in line with the regulations.

The only exception to the above is where the candidate malpractice in controlled assessments / coursework / NEA is suspected / has been discovered prior to the candidate signing their authentication form. In this instance only, the investigation and any resulting sanction will be carried out within LPTC. 

Where the candidate refuses to authenticate their work at the time of submission for marking, a mark of 0 will be entered and a log of all relevant actions and discussions will be maintained within centre for a period of three months following the release of results.

Procedure for reporting malpractice

– The Exam officer will immediately notify a member of the Management Board and the Head of Centre of all reported or discovered incidences. Where the malpractice involves any of the named parties, the escalation policy will be followed instead.

– A preliminary notification will be made – immediately following notification within centre -to the relevant Awarding Body with completed paperwork to follow.

– The Exam officer will complete the required forms, gather and document applicable evidence and statements from all parties involved within one working day of the incident on behalf of the Head of Centre.

– The Head of Centre will sign off all completed paperwork for submission to the relevant awarding Body by the Exam Officer within two working days of the incident.

Communicating malpractice decisions

Once a decision has been made, it will be communicated in writing to the Head of Centre as soon as possible. LPTC will communicate the decision to the individuals concerned and pass on details of any sanctions and action in cases where this is indicated. 

The HoC will also inform the individuals if they have the right to appeal

Appeals against decisions made in cases of malpractice

LPTC will:

• Provide the individual with information on the process and timeframe for submitting an appeal, where relevant
• Refer to further information and follow the process provided in the Awarding Body publication s regarding appeals.