Invisible earpieces sold online threaten over a million UK students
Key Points
- Ofqual chief Sir Ian Bauckham warns invisible earpieces and smart glasses sold online threaten exam integrity.
- More than 1.3 million students are sitting exams in England this series.
- Device offences hit 2,225 cases in summer 2025, 44.3% of all student malpractice.
- Smart devices have been the top cheating category every summer since 2018.
- Students caught with devices risk losing marks or full disqualification.
Invisible earpieces and smart glasses sold on social media pose a growing threat to the 1.3 million students sitting exams in England, the head of exams regulator Ofqual has warned.
Sir Ian Bauckham, Chief Regulator at Ofqual, made the comments in the first episode of the regulator’s new podcast series, Can I Just Qualify That?, which launched on 4 June. He said the challenge of high-tech cheating must be tackled quickly and should not be underestimated.
Bauckham said the threat in the exam hall now extends well beyond mobile phones. He pointed to a range of connected gadgets, including smart watches and earpieces, and said spectacles capable of displaying hidden text could be next.
“There might be smart spectacles next… that will play text across the inside of the lens that only the student can see,” he said. He added that Ofqual had to “move really fast, because technology is moving fast”.
Asked about students avoiding detection and getting devices into exam halls, Bauckham said the regulator should not underestimate the scale of the problem.
The comments follow concern over devices such as invisible earpieces and smart glasses being advertised to students on social media, as more than 1.3 million candidates sit their exams this summer.
What the data shows
Ofqual’s own figures show mobile phones and smart devices accounted for 2,225 malpractice cases in the summer 2025 exam series, or 44.3% of all student malpractice.
Device offences have been the most common category of student cheating in every summer series since 2018. Students who take phones or devices into exam halls risk losing marks or disqualification, which can prevent them from obtaining a qualification.
| Measure | Figure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Device malpractice cases, summer 2025 | 2,225 | Covers mobile phones and other smart devices |
| Share of all student malpractice | 44.3% | Largest single category |
| Students sitting exams | More than 1.3 million | England, this exam series |
| Most common cheating category since | 2018 | Every summer series |
Phone ban in schools
Bauckham welcomed the government’s decision to require schools to keep mobile phones off the premises, saying it makes the rule easier for invigilators to enforce.
“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,” he said. He said removing phones from school premises closes that gap.
In the same episode, Bauckham also discusses the future of education and assessment in the age of AI, including the growing difficulty of detecting AI use in coursework.
The Can I Just Qualify That? series features Bauckham and Ofqual colleagues explaining how qualifications and assessment work. The first episode is available on YouTube and through podcast streaming services.
