Lucy S. from Ripon is worried about friends who crib her coursework for her exams.
One solution would be to keep your coursework to yourself. But a generous scholar and friend certainly shares her revision notes with her friends, the foolish virgins, who have forgotten to take oil for their lamps. The most that conscientious scholars can do is get on with our work, and ignore the idleness and cheating of our peers. Good teachers and examiners can spot the difference between original work and plagiarism a mile away and, contrary to superstition, most teachers and GCSE examiners are professionals. Life will probably find your friends out eventually. Good luck with your exams.
PH
Stephanie West, Hertford College, Oxford: “Tackle the problem of coursework being copied by introducing a deliberate mistake, which you would correct in your own work just before handing it in; their agreement in error should lead to detection. I would suggest giving notice (so to speak) by introducing an error so gross that a plagiarist can hardly fail to notice it.
Jane Hibberd, Bunwell, Norfolk: “You are doing your friends no favours. Suggest occasional peer revision instead.”
Advertisement
Christine Simpkins, East Finchley: “Copying someone else’s work without permission is an infringement of copyright. Charge your lazy classmates, or else make sure your essays are seen only by your teachers.”
READERS REPLY
Readers are invited to send their responses to this week’s question by July 2. A selection will be printed in a fortnight.
I recently visited a restaurant where it took more than 20 minutes for a waiter to take our order. We then had to wait an interminable time for our food. I felt I should complain but my wife didn’t want me to “make a scene”. What is your view on complaining in restaurants?
R. J., Worcester