Almost one in seven graduates admits they'd paid others for essays- so who is ...

Logging on to her computer, Kaiesha Page had a long night ahead of her. There was a 2,000-word university essay on international politics to be done.

She read the title: ‘What impact has the war on terror had on the Middle East?’ and dived in. She was confident of a good grade. The subject greatly interests her, and it’s one on which she’s widely read.

It would take Kaiesha, 28, who is studying for a masters degree in political communications at Cardiff University, around two days to complete the assignment, making sure she referenced her arguments with well-researched citations.

The problem is, Kaiesha will never know what grade the paper gets. She will not receive any feedback, nor the satisfaction of knowing whether her hard work was appreciated.

For the essay was written for another student to submit for their degree and pass off as their own. Kaiesha will receive an £80 fee for her efforts, which, simply put, will enable someone else to cheat through their degree.

Over the past few years, there has been an explosion in the number of online businesses offering essay-writing services. These are known as essay mills, where students can pay someone else to complete their coursework.

So prevalent has the industry become, it is worth more than £100 million.

It is difficult to know how many students cheat in this way but in 2016, universities watchdog the Quality Assurance Agency found approximately 17,000 instances a year.

However, the figure is thought to be far higher, with a recent study by Swansea University, based on interviews with more than 54,500 students from around the world, finding 15.7 per cent admitted to cheating between 2014 and 2018. 

This means about one in seven recent graduates may have paid someone to do their written work for them.

Although universities have strict policies against cheating, essay mills are surprisingly not illegal and widely advertised. There are posters and leaflets on campuses and an internet search will bring up thousands of firms.

These companies exploit a legal loophole, with disclaimers saying they are to be used as a study guide only, while simultaneously advertising ‘guaranteed grades’ and ‘plagiarism free’.

All a student has to do is give details of their assignment, a word count and deadline. They can even choose their grade; a 2:1 undergraduate essay from the cheaper sites costs around £30, but others can charge thousands.

For example, a 30,000-word PhD-level dissertation on medicine costs £22,416 on UK Essays. Many of these companies are based abroad, in Eastern Europe, India and East Africa, but there are some using British writers like Kaiesha. 

She knows it was unethical but as a self-funded masters student, the money was a help.

‘I admit I was naive,’ she says. ‘I saw a writing job advertised on the recruitment website PeoplePerHour. I applied and then learned it was to write an academic assignment. I felt as I’d already accepted the work, I couldn’t turn it down as I might not get future work.’

Kaiesha graduated with a first-class degree in history from the University of Aberystwyth in 2011, and, using this knowledge, has written five essays for other students over the past two years, on topics such as British politics and history.

‘I felt bad when I realised what I was doing,’ she says. ‘As a student myself, I can see how it’s compromising the system. When I was an undergraduate, essay mills weren’t heard of, but I’d never have used one anyhow as I wouldn’t want to produce work that wasn’t mine. It defeats the point of study.

‘But equally I can see why people write for these companies — it’s regular work that fits around your own studies and, with student loans mounting up, it’s very tempting.’

Dr Thomas Lancaster, a senior teaching fellow in computer sciences at Imperial College London and a leading UK expert on essay cheating, says essay mills pose a ‘massive risk’ to universities’ reputations.

‘We want employers to think we’re delivering skilled workers, not someone who has paid someone else to act on their behalf.

‘It not only jeopardises academic integrity but there’s a risk to the public in many professions if people aren’t properly qualified.

‘Imagine a nurse who miscalculates the amount of medication because she cheated her way through her degree. It could cost lives.

‘There are even cases of students being blackmailed by essay mill companies, who say: “Unless you pay more, we will report you to your university.” ’

As part of his research, Dr Lancaster says he has already identified 30,000 instances of students purchasing bespoke essays, from companies all over the world. A third of these were bought by ostensibly bright, capable students at Russell Group universities — the leading 24 universities including Cambridge, Oxford, Durham and Bristol.

‘I think people have always found a way to cheat if they want to,’ he adds. ‘But what’s changed is the prevalence of these services.’

There have been calls to make essay mills illegal, but as many are based overseas, it would be difficult to enforce.

So what can be done to protect the integrity of universities, and remove temptation from students?

Dr Lancaster says: ‘We should focus on getting rid of the advertising, particularly on social media.

‘Students should also have to present and answer questions about their work. When I studied at Oxford, I would have three one-hour tutorials a week and exams at the end of the year. In that environment it would have been impossible for me to not know my stuff.’

So why do students resort to cheating?

‘Probably the main reason is pressure. They’re investing a lot of time and money. Do they risk wasting the £9,250 yearly tuition fee or take a gamble and spend £100 to pass? I can see why it is tempting.’

It was this pressure that led Kelly Jenkins, 23, to pay £216 for an essay during the final year of her degree in economics and finance at the University of Hull in 2017.

‘I admit I took the easy way

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