Compliance review of malpractice in GCSE, AS and A level statistics
Overview
At the time of this report the Malpractice in GCSE, AS and A level statistics produced by Ofqual are published as official statistics.
This release presents statistics on reported cases of malpractice, such as student plagiarism and staff non-compliance with exam board instructions, relating to GCSE, AS and A level qualifications in England. The statistics provide insights into emerging malpractice trends, including plagiarism involving the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI), and are used by stakeholders across the education sector to inform measures aimed at preventing malpractice. This report shares our views on how the Malpractice in GCSE, AS and A level in England meet the standards set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics.
Why we did this review
This review was requested by Ofqual to support improvements to the statistics. We last reviewed a set of Ofqual statistics in 2014, so this review also helped us understand current statistical practice in the organisation.
Findings
Ofqual has focused on introducing Reproducible Analytical Pipelines (RAP) across the organisation and has begun to embed many RAP principles within its statistical processes and outputs, including for the malpractice statistics. Automating the analytical steps, using version control to manage code and carrying out peer review for these statistics reduces the risk of errors, resulting in a higher quality output.
Ofqual has quality assurance logs in place for all its official statistics and other high-profile releases and is increasing the number of both manual and automated quality assurance checks. This has helped Ofqual identify and resolve issues in the underlying malpractice data and provide a higher quality output.
Quality information is published alongside the statistics, but limited detail is provided in the main bulletin on the limitations of the malpractice statistics and how quality checks are undertaken in practice. Supporting documentation largely signposts readers to organisational quality frameworks and administrative data statements, with no description of the quality assurance arrangements for, and limitations relevant to, the malpractice statistics.
The statistics team has demonstrated responsiveness to user needs by introducing a breakdown of plagiarism offences to distinguish cases involving the misuse of AI from those that do not.
Ofqual is working to proactively identify user needs through a range of channels such as the StatsUserNetwork, a survey that users are signposted to and Google Analytics. Through this work Ofqual is exploring opportunities to add value by improving the statistics with the needs of users in mind. However, Ofqual’s public engagement strategy does not fully capture the range of user engagement activities Ofqual is undertaking and there is also little published information on what these statistics are used for.
In general, the visualisations support interpretation of the statistics; however, some aspects of their design may limit accessibility. For example, the use of red text on a dark blue background may be difficult for some users to distinguish, and the charts and infographics could benefit from greater alignment with colour accessibility guidance.
Our judgement
Our review found that the Malpractice in GCSE, AS and A level statistics are underpinned by strong quality assurance procedures and are responsive to the needs of users. However, there is scope to improve reporting about quality, user engagement and accessibility.
Based on the findings of this review, we have identified four recommendations that Ofqual should address to further enhance the statistics’ Trustworthiness, Quality and Value:
Recommendation 1:
To enhance transparency and help users understand the specific quality considerations and limitations of these statistics, Ofqual should publish comprehensive quality information covering all aspects of quality, including the checks applied throughout the production process. Ofqual should consider using the Quality Assurance of Administrative Data (QAAD) framework to support this work and strengthen its reporting about quality.
Recommendation 2:
To ensure that the statistics continue to meet user needs, Ofqual should strengthen its public involvement and engagement strategy by providing more detail on plans to proactively engage with users and gather and respond to feedback.
Recommendation 3:
To enhance accessibility, Ofqual should ensure that all charts and infographics are accessible to users with visual impairments by adopting accessible design principles and colour palettes. Ofqual may wish to consider accessibility guidance published by the Government Analysis function.
Recommendation 4:
To help users to better understand the statistics’ relevance and contribution to the public good, Ofqual should provide additional information on how these statistics are used and the decisions they inform.
Next steps
We expect Ofqual to provide a public update on its progress against our recommendations by December 2026. In the longer term, should Ofqual wish to pursue accreditation of the statistics we would be happy to discuss the best timing for an assessment.