Mass TOEIC cheating uncovered in Japan

As of July 7, 803 TOEIC scores have been cancelled in Japan, after the arrest of a student for cheating prompted an investigation into tests taken since May 2023.  

TOEIC – the Test of English for International Communication – is owned by ETS and is administered across Japan by the Institute for International Business Communications (IIBC).  

ETS said it “continuously evolves its security protocols to stay ahead of bad actors who attempt to gain an unfair advantage”, recognising “the complexity of administering secure, high-stakes tests across a vast global network”.  

“We remain vigilant and proactive in evolving our security measures to meet emerging threats and protect the testing experience for the vast majority of test takers who prepare honestly and test in good faith,” a spokesperson added.  

IIBC is yet to reply to The PIE’s request for comment.  

As reported in the Japan Times, suspicion arose after an arrest of a Chinese graduate student accused of posing as someone else. In a previous incident, they had been arrested for entering a testing centre under a false identity.  

An investigation launched by IIBC, which is still underway, has seen the nullification of a further 803 TOEIC scores for test-takers who submitted the same address as the accused student, which would enable them to take the test in the same centre. 

According to ETS, all cases of cheating have been identified, though the investigation with the authorities is still underway.  

With thousands upon thousands of test centres around the world, enforcement can sometimes be a challenge

Michael Goodine, Test Resources

The English language testing giant – which partners with in-country organisations to deliver the test – said the integrity and fairness of its assessments were “of the utmost importance” maintaining its security strategy was “multilayered” and “regionally adaptive”.  

Security measures include AI monitoring, test centre staff training, biometric identification and real-time data collection to investigate anomalies, designed to be “scalable and responsive” to “maintain consistency while addressing localised risks,” it said. 

As English testing expert, Michael Goodine, wrote in his blog: “Any test delivery method is only as good as the procedures established by a test maker and the enforcement of them.  

“And with thousands upon thousands of test centres around the world, enforcement can sometimes be a challenge,” he added. 

Online tests have been under the spotlight in past weeks, with a recent report hitting out against “less established “online tests, raising concerns about their “security, validity and perceived inadequacy”.   

And yet, the TOEIC investigation will serve as a reminder of the security risks involved in the mass rollout of paper-based tests. 

“There is an assumption in some quarters that in-person testing is necessarily better than at-home testing,” wrote English language testing expert Michael Goodine. 

“Given the above – and ongoing concerns related to paper-based IELTS testing – that might not be true,” he continued.

The “concerns” cited by Goodine refer to a string of policy changes relating to paper-based IELTS tests across the world, though there have been no reported incidents of cheating.

Namely, paper-testing was recently suspended in Uzbekistan and eliminated in Bangladesh and Vietnam, where tests are now being delivered online.

Meanwhile, as of this January, registering for the IELTS paper test now requires residency in that country, with residents of mainland China no longer permitted to take the paper-based IELTS in Hong Kong.

The latest TOEIC incident is not the first time the sector has been rocked by a cheating scandal, with stakeholders keen to ensure that no wrongly-accused students are caught up in the investigation by the Japanese authorities.

In 2014, the BBC uncovered systemic cheating at one TOEIC exam testing centre in the UK, which resulted in ETS losing its Secure English Language Testing license and prison sentences for individuals ruled to have rigged around 800 TOEIC tests.

Thousands of innocent test-takers were pulled into the scandal after a Home Office investigation, based on unreliable evidence led to 34,000 seeing their visas revoked amid allegations of cheating.

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