The Sting on "The Feed": Here's How "Exam Impersonators" Are Helping Students Cheat

There’s a whole lot of cheating going on.

The Feed has gone undercover to expose the not-so-secret world of exam impersonators.

In last night’s episode of the SBS show, Chinese journo Cecily Huang volunteered to recruit a ghostwriter for her uni exam, in collaboration with The Feed’s Elise Potaka.

During the sting, she meets "Jack", who offers to sit Cecily's exam for $AU3500, or complete her entire subject for $AU5000-6000. (Yes, even though he's a man and she's a woman, "Jack" will still walk into an exam room and fearlessly sit in her seat, assuming he won't be questioned.)

The investigation comes in the wake of the MyMaster scandal, where approximately 1000 students across 16 universities were found to have used the ghostwriting service in the pursuit of their degrees.

The episode as a whole not only shines a light on how these exam impersonators operate, but also the ecosystem that allows them to thrive. (Special mention is made of the pressure on international students to pass, and to be passed, on account of the $6 billion they bring to Australian universities annually.)

Unfortunately, the number of "local students" who are cheating (apparently comparable to international students) isn't really explored here. However, you really should watch the whole thing (and, helpfully, you can at the SBS website).

Then, come back and share your thoughts on the scandal in the comments section below. Have you seen exam impersonators operate first hand?