Malpractice

Malpractice is any act or practice which breaches regulations. It can have the potential to compromise the assessment or examination, the integrity of our qualification, the validity of a result/certificate or damage the reputation or credibility of an awarding body or centre.

Maladministration, the failure to comply with regulations, is also considered malpractice.

More information can be found in the JCQ Suspected Malpractice in Examinations and Assessments, available from the JCQ website.

The OCR compliance team is responsible for investigating all allegations and suspicions of malpractice or unintentional breaches of exam regulation by candidates, teachers or trainers for both general and vocational qualifications.

Due to the confidential nature of many allegations of malpractice, we only communicate with the head of centre unless they have provided written authority for us to communicate with a delegated member of staff.

If you suspect malpractice, you should report it to your head of centre in the first instance, who has the responsibility to report malpractice to us at the earliest opportunity.

To report malpractice to us, please complete one of the following forms:

Please email your completed forms to us as follows: 

• Internal assessments and paper-based examined tests – malpractice@ocr.org.uk. 
• On-screen tests – etest@ocr.org.uk. Title your email ‘[Qualification name] Suspected Malpractice Notification’ as the subject, inserting the qualification name where indicated.

If you feel, for any reason, you cannot report your suspicions of malpractice to your head of centre, you can contact the compliance team directly at malpractice@ocr.org.uk. 

You may find our whistleblowing guidance useful.

Once we receive a report of suspected malpractice, we will assess whether to:

• Take no further action
• Ask your centre to investigate
• Investigate the matter ourselves
• Make a decision on the case.

If we require your centre to investigate, we will notify your head of centre and provide them with any relevant evidence we may have. 

The head of centre should then carry out an investigation and provide a response to us using the following form:

If we decide to carry out the investigation ourselves, we will contact the head of centre to notify them of the suspected malpractice and to discuss how the investigation will proceed.

If the report of malpractice is:

• Clear and uncontested – a member of the compliance team will make the decision on the case.
• Complex – the evidence is contested or contradictory or the case involves allegations of malpractice on the part of a member of staff, the case may be referred to the OCR Malpractice Committee for a decision. (This is an appointed panel who are experienced in examination and assessment procedures and who have had no involvement with the case previously.)

All decisions made in cases of malpractice are taken according to the JCQ Suspected Malpractice in Examinations and Assessment document and will be communicated to the head of centre.

If your centre is not satisfied with the decision taken in a case of malpractice, your head of centre can submit an appeal.