eAA blog on BBC Panorama show on exam integrity

Assessment Security – how technology and people can help maintain exam credibility

The BBC Panorama investigative story on UK television (February 10, 2014), regarding the compromise of the TOEIC exam is the story is the assessment industry’s ‘inconvenient truth’.

Despite the high cost of the exam to the candidate, the programme demonstrated how both the e-Assessment and ‘bubble sheet’ parts of the test can be railroaded by fraudsters masquerading as ‘facilitators’.

When the exam means something to a learner/ candidate (license to practice, entry into education, drive a car), there will always be a minority willing to take risks to beat the system.

Watching the investigation tonight, there are a number of elements which make uncomfortable viewing for exam sponsors, exam delivery companies (both in e-Assessment and paper delivery). While companies such as ETS have been delivering exams securely around the world for many years, this UK issue does not necessarily equate to a global delivery issue or a failing exam, but should send shock waves throughout the industry.