There are so many ways in which technology is changing the world we live in, but one thing it isn’t changing is the fact that some students will always find a way to cheat in exams! In this years exams it seems as though students might find a helping hand from a unusual source as Amazon have started selling Cheating Watches.
The sales pages for these watches claim that they are specifically made to help students cheat in exams. Not only have these unsurprisingly caught the attention of students looking for an unfair advantage in the exam hall, but teachers concerned it will be tough to catch people using them.
Amazon’s Cheating Watches
These watches look just like a smartwatch device but they have been specifically designed to make it easy to conceal information for use in the exam hall. Most models come with 4GB of storage which can be used for text and images which can be easily read directly from the screen in an exam. Although some newer models can hold 8GB of storage and can also play video files.
The function which makes it easy for cheating students but hard for teachers trying to catch them out is the “emergency button”. If a student is concerned that a teacher may see the text on the screen of the watch they can press the button which will disable all buttons and switch to a conventional watch face. This means that even if the teacher takes the watch from the student it will be difficult for them to prove that any cheating had taken place.
The advertisements for Cheating Watches on Amazon and other websites proudly state that they are designed to be used for cheating in exams. Most of the products include the words “Exam Cheat” in the name and an advert for one watch states that it is “perfect for covertly viewing exam notes directly on your wrist”. One of the watches is available for $61 (£43) and can be shipped anywhere in the world.
People leaving reviews on Amazon’s US website state that they managed to avoid getting caught while using the watch. Andrew’s review gave the advice to “Be careful and you won’t get caught. Even in the front row.”
These watches are not the first products to be marketed on Amazon with the purpose of cheating in exams. A range of cheating pens appeared on Amazon which allow notes to be viewed through a small window inside the pen. One seller on Amazon is even selling a tiny earpiece for the purpose of cheating in exams. The earpiece can be linked to a smartphone in order to send audio information to you which you can use in your exam. There’s no doubt that these products make a teachers job in policing the exam room incredibly difficult and raise the temptation for students to cheat at exam time.
The Teachers and Students Response
Joe Sidders, deputy head at Monkton Combe Senior School in Bath, expressed concern at the availability of these watches to students. He told the BBC, “I expect the hidden market for these sorts of devices is significant, and this offering on Amazon is just the tip of the iceberg.” He also took the view that it was irresponsible for companies like Amazon to allow these watches to be made available to students under intense pressure at exam time.
The rules put in place by exam boards should cover devices with concealed content, which means that a student caught using one of these watches to cheat could be disqualified from the exam. But Joe Sidders wants exam boards to take a much tougher line, challenging the businesses who make these watches available to students.
Some of the responses to articles about Cheating Watches on Facebook and Twitter suggested that they may already be widely used. One example came from Ra’s Al Ghul in the BBC’s Facebook page, who said “Witnessed it myself in my own exams.” One person replying on Twitter stated that he had worn his Pebble Watch in an exam last year without any questions being asked, although he did not use it to cheat.
As for Monkton Combe Senior School, the decision was taken to add watches to the list of banned items for examinations. Joe Sidders told the Bath Chronicle, “We already take away mobile phones and Apple watches and those sorts of things that are meant for communication outside of the exam hall. We wanted to take the responsibility away from them, especially in the context of the pressure that they’re under to perform.”
Conclusion
It’s touch to say whether or not these devices will be used in the upcoming examinations this summer. However they are very clearly easily available and as Joe Sidders explained, “They’re pretty indistinguishable from a normal watch.” The temptation for students to make use of them will be very high, especially as they are under intense pressure to perform.
Whether students are likely to take the plunge and buy the watches or not, it does make sense for schools to take immediate action, as Monkton Combe Senior School have. There was no indication to Joe Sidders that any students owned these devices, but he took the temptation away by banning watches during examinations altogether. Hopefully other schools will take action to avoid widespread use of Cheating Watches which could put students at risk of disqualification and call into question the validity of this years exam results.
Images: Amazon,
