Academic Integrity Beyond AI: Stopping Cheating in Schools
AI chatbots get the headlines, but they joined a market that already existed. Essay mills, answer sites, shared test banks, translation round-trips and phones under the desk were all there first, and they have not gone away.
This guide covers the non-AI side of academic integrity: what the tools are, where filtering helps, where it cannot, and how test-time controls and assessment design close the rest.
What this guide covers, and what it leaves to the AI guide
Generative AI tools for writing and solving problems have their own playbook. This page deliberately covers the rest, so the two pages together give a full picture.
On this page
- Contract cheating and essay mills
- Answer libraries and homework help sites
- Paraphrasing and text-spinning tools
- Translation used to disguise copied work
- Leaked tests, test banks and shared answer files
- Messaging, phones and look-ups during tests
In the AI guide
- AI writing and problem-solving tools
- Policy choices on allowing or limiting AI
- Enforcing AI rules on take-home devices
Read blocking AI cheating tools in schools for that side, and should ChatGPT be allowed in schools for the policy debate.
Keep answer services out of reach on every school device
Our hosted CIPA filter is run for you and decides by domain, so an answer library or a paraphrasing tool is blocked the same way on every Chromebook. You choose the categories, then add the odd site teachers report.
- Always-block and always-allow lists per school sit on top of the category switches.
- Teachers keep their tutorial and reference sites, because you block named answer services rather than a whole subject.
- Nothing is installed on student computers, and edits reach every device within seconds.
Six families of non-AI cheating tools
Each family works differently, so each needs a different mix of filtering, device rules and teaching. Knowing the family tells you which lever to pull.
Essay mills and contract cheating
Paid services that write essays, coursework or whole assignments to order. They advertise heavily on social media and through search, often with promises of "original" work.
Answer libraries
Sites that host worked solutions to textbook and exam questions, sometimes uploaded by other students. Many charge a subscription for full answers.
Homework help and tutoring marketplaces
Some offer genuine tutoring. Others let students post a task and pay someone to complete it, which is contract cheating under another name.
Paraphrasing and spinning tools
Tools that reword copied text so it passes a similarity check. The ideas and structure stay someone else's.
Translation round-trips
Copying a text in another language and translating it, or translating English text out and back, to disguise the source. In language classes, translating the answer itself.
Test banks and shared answers
Leaked tests, teacher editions and answer files shared through file hosts, flashcard sites and group chats. Often spread within hours of a test.
How answer and study sites are actually categorized
These are real entries for sites teachers often ask about. Notice how many land in the same Education/Reference group as legitimate learning sites.
| Study site | How we file it |
|---|---|
| chegg.com | Education/Reference, Webinars/E-learning |
| coursehero.com | Education/Reference, Webinars/E-learning |
| brainly.com | Education/Reference, Webinars/E-learning |
| edubirdie.com | Education/Reference |
| quillbot.com | AI / LLM Tools |
| deepl.com | AI / LLM Tools |
Where filtering helps, and where it cannot
A web filter is good at one thing: deciding which sites a device can reach. It cannot tell whether a piece of work is a student's own. Plan with both facts in mind.
| Tool family | Filter can | Filter cannot | Other controls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay mills | Block known services and their ordering pages on school devices and networks | Stop orders placed from home phones or laptops | Process-based assessment, drafts, in-class writing |
| Answer libraries | Block answer-only sites, all day or during assessment windows | Stop screenshots shared in group chats | Question design that cannot be looked up |
| Homework marketplaces | Block the marketplace while keeping tutorial sites open | Tell genuine tutoring from paid completion | Oral checks on submitted work |
| Paraphrasing tools | Block specific tools on student devices | Catch reworded text | Teaching citation and paraphrase skills |
| Translation | Block during language tests with a test profile | Tell help from cheating in other subjects | Clear per-task rules |
| Test banks and file shares | Limit File Sharing/P2P and Cloud Storage / File Hosting for students | See files passed on personal devices | Question pools, varied versions, secure storage |
Filtering is one layer. It blocks routes and keeps request records; it does not monitor messages, judge students or decide misconduct. Suspected cheating is handled by teachers under the school's academic integrity policy, and any welfare concern goes through the safeguarding process.
Building an integrity block list from categories
There is no single standard "cheating" category. Cheating services spread across education, business, file sharing and shopping sites. Most schools combine category rules with a short custom list.
- Start with categories you already restrict. File Sharing/P2P, VPN / Proxy / Anonymizers and, during tests, AI / LLM Tools cover a large share of routes.
- Add a custom integrity list. Specific essay mills, answer libraries and paraphrasing tools teachers report. Keep it short and reviewed.
- Check each candidate domain. Use the domain checker to see how a site is categorized before deciding whether a category rule or a custom entry fits.
- Keep tutorial and reference sites open. Education/Reference sites that explain rather than hand over answers are part of learning. Block the answer-only services, not the subject.
- Use time-based rules. Tighten the list during exam weeks or scheduled test windows, then relax it, so normal homework research is not disrupted.
- Watch for new domains. Essay mills and answer sites change domains often. Category data that covers newly registered domains daily helps catch copies and mirrors.
- Review each term with teachers. Ask departments which sites they see in work. They spot new services before IT does.
- Log the reason for each entry. A one-line note per custom entry makes the list easy to defend to parents and easy to prune.
| Question to ask about a study site | If yes | If no |
|---|---|---|
| Does it mainly explain concepts, with worked examples students learn from? | Keep it open, perhaps with a test-window block | Look closer at what it offers |
| Does it sell or share complete answers to specific assignments? | Add to the custom integrity list | Category rules are probably enough |
| Does it let students pay someone to complete work? | Block for students at all times | Treat as ordinary tutoring |
| Do teachers use it for planning or reference? | Allow for staff, decide separately for students | No staff exception needed |
For how categories fit together, see the web filtering categories taxonomy. Group differences between staff and students are covered in staff vs student filtering policies.
Test-time controls: before, during and after
Tests on devices invite look-ups, messages and shared screens. The strongest setups combine device modes, a tighter filter profile and simple room rules.
Prepare the devices
- Move test devices or users into an exam group with a short allow list.
- Set up a locked or kiosk test mode where your quiz platform supports it on managed devices.
- Run a dry run a week ahead to find blocked domains the test needs.
- Rotate question versions and keep tests out of shared drives.
Narrow the routes
- Apply a test filter profile that blocks messaging, translation, AI tools and answer sites.
- Phones away, by a clear rule, including smartwatches.
- Seat students so screens are visible to the invigilator.
- Use classroom screen tools only if your policy covers them.
Return to normal
- Switch devices back to the everyday profile on time, so later lessons work.
- Check filter reports for blocked attempts during the window, as a pattern not a verdict.
- Pass concerns to the teacher; do not treat a log line as proof.
- Retire questions that leaked.
Device lock-down details are in app management on school devices. Messaging routes are covered in blocking WhatsApp Web and Telegram at school.
Essay mills change domain, your rules should not lag
New domains are added to our categories every day, and your own always-block list covers the specific services your staff name. Changes reach all schools in seconds, which suits a test week.
The law on essay mills and contract cheating
Several countries now treat selling completed work to students as an offence. The laws target the providers and advertisers, not the students who buy.
Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022
Makes it an offence to provide, arrange or advertise contract cheating services for financial gain to students in post-16 education, including sixth forms.
Qualifications and quality assurance law
Amendments in 2019 created offences for providing and advertising cheating services to learners.
Higher education standards law
Since 2020 it has been an offence to provide or advertise academic cheating services to higher education students.
State by state
There is no federal law. Some states have long-standing laws on selling term papers. Check your own state's rules.
What this means for schools: the law does not require schools to block essay mills, but it gives clear backing when you do, and it is a useful talking point with students and parents. Enforcement against overseas providers is limited, so school controls still matter.
Assessment design does the heavy lifting
No filter can stop a student from paying someone at home. Assessment design can make that purchase pointless. These approaches work against every tool family on this page.
Assess the process
Ask for plans, notes and drafts at set points. Bought work rarely comes with a believable history.
Short oral checks
Two or three questions about a submitted piece quickly show whether the student understands it.
In-class writing
Key pieces written under supervision give teachers a baseline for each student's voice.
Local and personal tasks
Questions tied to a class trip, local data or personal reflection are hard to buy off the shelf.
Question pools
Different versions and randomised order make shared answer files less useful.
Clear rules per task
State what help is allowed: notes, translation, spell-check, tutors. Students cannot follow rules they were never told.
Policy, culture and fair responses
Integrity rests on culture more than controls. A clear policy, consistent responses and honest conversations do more than any block list.
| Element | What good looks like |
|---|---|
| Academic integrity policy | Defines plagiarism, contract cheating, collusion and misuse of tools in plain language, with examples for each age group |
| Acceptable use policy | Names cheating services and bypass tools as not allowed on school systems; links to the integrity policy |
| Response ladder | First cases handled as learning, with redo opportunities; repeated or serious cases escalate under the behaviour policy |
| Evidence standard | Decisions rest on the work and conversations with the student, not on a filter log or a single detector score |
| Student voice | Students help write the honour code or class agreement, which raises buy-in |
| Staff training | Teachers know the tool families, the warning signs in submitted work, and how to raise a concern consistently across departments |
| Record keeping | Integrity cases are recorded in one place with outcomes, so patterns across subjects and years become visible to leaders |
| Parent communication | Explains why answer and essay services are blocked, and what help at home is fine |
Policy wording ideas: acceptable use policy for schools. On detection limits, see can schools tell if students use ChatGPT. Students who try to get around blocks are covered in stop proxy and VPN bypass in schools.
Reducing the pressure that drives cheating
Students rarely buy an essay because they enjoy breaking rules. They do it when they are behind, overloaded or afraid of failing. Removing some of that pressure reduces demand for every tool on this page.
Spread the deadlines
A shared assessment calendar across departments stops five major pieces landing in the same week, which is when paid help looks most tempting.
Make asking for help easy
Homework clubs, library sessions and teacher drop-ins give stuck students a legitimate route before a paid one.
Fair extension rules
A clear, simple way to ask for more time removes the "buy it or fail" choice for students in a difficult week.
Teach the skills
Paraphrasing, citing and planning an essay are skills. Students who were never taught them are more likely to copy or buy.
Support language learners
Students learning the language of instruction may use translation out of need, not dishonesty. Agree the support they can use openly.
Talk about the risks
Essay services can resell work, leak personal details or demand more money later. Students often do not know this.
An integrity routine for IT and teaching staff
Integrity work fails when IT and teachers act separately. A light, shared routine keeps the block list, the test setup and classroom practice in step through the year.
| When | IT task | Teaching task |
|---|---|---|
| Start of year | Review the custom integrity list and test filter profile | Share the integrity policy and per-task rules with classes |
| Two weeks before exams | Dry run of locked test mode and exam profile on sample devices | Confirm question versions and secure storage |
| Exam weeks | Switch profiles on schedule; be on hand for blocked-domain issues | Invigilate with clear phone and screen rules |
| After each test window | Share category-level patterns, not names, with heads of department | Report new services seen in student work |
| End of each term | Prune unused list entries; add reported services after checking them | Review integrity cases for patterns and training needs |
Running the integrity block list alone or on a hosted filter
The same short list of rules is easier to keep when the filter handles the category work.
| Integrity job | Kept by hand | With the hosted service |
|---|---|---|
| Catching a copy of a blocked answer site | Someone must spot it and add it | The category data follows new domains as they are classified |
| Keeping tutorial sites open | Review every domain in a long list | Allow list per school for the sites teachers trust |
| Tightening rules for a test | Edit the list on each device group | Change the school's policy once, live in seconds |
| Proxy sites used to reach blocked services | Add each one that turns up | VPN / Proxy / Anonymizers blocked as a category |
| Explaining a block to a parent or board | Rebuild the history from memory | Activity reports, policy record and log export |
FAQ: academic integrity beyond AI
Are essay mills illegal?
In England, the Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022 made it a criminal offence to provide or advertise contract cheating services for financial gain to students in post-16 education, including sixth forms. Other countries, such as Australia and Ireland, have similar laws. In the US, rules vary by state.
Should schools block homework help and answer sites?
Many schools block sites that mainly sell or share completed answers, at least during tests, and keep tutorial and explanation sites open. A time-based rule that tightens during assessment windows is a common middle ground.
Is there a web filter category for cheating sites?
There is no single standard category. Cheating services are spread across education, business and file sharing categories. Schools usually combine category rules with a short custom list of specific services, reviewed each term.
Can a web filter tell which students cheated?
No. A filter blocks or allows sites by category and keeps records of requests. It cannot judge whether work is a student's own. Integrity concerns are handled by teachers through the school's academic integrity process.
How do we stop cheating during online tests?
Combine a locked test mode on managed devices, a stricter filter profile for the test window, clear phone rules, and test design that relies less on recall that can be looked up. Supervision in the room is still the strongest control.
Is using a translation tool cheating?
It depends on the task. In a language assessment, translating the answer usually is. In other subjects, a translation tool can be a fair support for students learning the language of instruction. Say clearly, per task, what is allowed.
We quote by the number of schools and devices and reply within one business day. Starting with a pilot on one school lets your teachers see which sites are blocked and which stay open.
Back your integrity policy with the right blocks
Tell us how your district runs tests and coursework. We will show how category data and test-time filter profiles support your teachers without blocking learning.
ChatGPT is a trademark of OpenAI. WhatsApp is a trademark of WhatsApp LLC. Telegram is a trademark of its respective owner. Chromebook is a trademark of Google LLC. These names are used here only to identify the products discussed. CIPA Web Filtering is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by any of these companies.