Essay cheating at universities an 'open secret'

The BBC investigation reveals widespread essay cheating at UK universities despite the Skills and Post-16 Education Act introduced in 2022 to prevent it. The report includes insights from a former lecturer and a businessman who claims to have earned millions from selling "model answer" essays. Universities UK highlighted severe penalties for students caught submitting work that was not their own, including responses like warnings, zero marks, suspension, or exclusion. International students were reportedly more involved in academic misconduct investigations, with universities addressing issues like poor referencing as possible contributing factors.