Three Students Suspected of Cheating in English Section of Taiwan's National High School Entrance Exam, Cases to Be Reviewed

(CNA, Taipei, May 17, by reporter Chen Chih-chung) During the second session of the 115th academic year's Comprehensive Assessment Program for Junior High School Students (CAP) today, which was the English reading test, three students were caught by proctors for allegedly peeking at their neighbors' answers. One of them admitted to cheating. All cases will be submitted for discussion at the respective examination district and national violation handling meetings. According to the Ministry of Education, the order during this year's CAP has been generally good, with no instances of Category 1 "serious cheating behavior." However, during today's English reading test, three students were recorded for "clear evidence of obtaining or providing answers to others for cheating purposes within the examination venue, or clear evidence of mutual cheating," which falls under Category 2 general cheating or serious violations. Wang Yen-huang, director of the off-site office of the National CAP Commission, told CNA in a telephone interview that the three students were in different examination venues. One was noticed by a proctor for having wandering eyes, seemingly looking at the person next to them. Another was also suspected of peeking, and despite increased patrols by proctors, the student did not correct their behavior. A third student, upon being discovered, admitted to copying the answers of the student next to them. Wang emphasized that this is currently information reported by the examination districts, and the cases will be submitted to the violation handling meetings of the respective examination district committees and the national violation handling meeting before any disciplinary action is decided. Another student was recorded during the English reading session for "communicating with individuals outside the examination venue through gestures or messages during the test," a Category 3 general violation. However, Wang stated that a preliminary review of the report from the examination district suggests this was likely a reporting error, as the student was still answering after the bell rang. Additionally, during the English listening session, one student was recorded for "copying test questions or answers and carrying them out of the examination venue, confirmed by investigation," and one student for "forcibly entering after the test officially began or leaving early before the test ended." Both are considered Category 2 general cheating or serious violations. The Ministry of Education later responded to CNA in writing, stating that the violation types provided post-exam are preliminary records made by proctors based on the situation on-site. Whether an individual case constitutes a violation must still be discussed and confirmed on a case-by-case basis by each examination district committee after the CAP. The cases are then sent to the National CAP Commission's national violation handling meeting for review and approval, which will be the final outcome.