In 2014, the UK Home Office suspended the licenses of 57 private colleges. They launched an investigation into the UK subsidiary of the global testing company Educational Testing Service (ETS). They also suspended international recruitment at three universities. A whistle-blower had alerted authorities to widespread examination fraud. The investigation revealed that around 45,000 immigrants may have fraudulently obtained English language test certificates.

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and the National Crime Agency found that there were over 29,000 invalid results and 19,000 questionable results over the period 2012–13. A BBC documentary also showed footage of professionals taking examinations for other people, and cases where the answers were read out to the candidates.

A researcher was able to pay a fee to “sit” for an exam in a London-based center approved by the government. A fake-sitter would take the examination for the researcher and all the researcher had to do was pose for a photograph to prove that she had attended. How widespread is examination fraud in your country? What steps would you suggest in order to deal with the problem? Be prepared to share your ideas with other members of the class when called upon by your instructor.