Policy
Malpractice and maladministration
Every qualification our learners achieve should be fair, genuine and trusted by employers. This policy explains how we protect the integrity of assessments and qualifications, including the use of AI, and what happens if something goes wrong.
At a glance
- Your work must be your own, with every source acknowledged.
- AI can support your thinking, but it can't do your work for you. Always declare how you've used it.
- Work is checked with plagiarism and AI detection tools, and a detection score is never used on its own.
- Fair and proportionate. A genuine mistake is a chance to learn.
- Confidential reporting, with every concern investigated.
What malpractice and maladministration mean
Malpractice is any deliberate action, neglect or other practice that compromises, or could compromise, an assessment, the integrity of a qualification, the validity of a result or certificate, or the reputation of an awarding organisation. It ranges from failing to keep proper records to deliberately falsifying evidence to claim a certificate.
Maladministration is any activity or practice that results in not following administrative rules and requirements, including persistent mistakes and poor administration.
Examples of malpractice by learners
- Plagiarism: presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own without acknowledging them
- Submitting AI-generated content as your own work, or not declaring how you've used AI
- Including references or sources that don't exist or that you haven't checked
- Reusing work submitted for a different task or qualification without permission
- Having someone else, including a paid writing service, complete your work
- Copying from or colluding with another learner when work must be your own
- Impersonating another learner, or having someone impersonate you
- Including offensive or discriminatory material in your work
- Disruptive behaviour during an assessment
Examples of malpractice and maladministration by staff
- Not carrying out internal assessment or quality assurance properly
- Failing to keep accurate, secure records, or falsifying them
- Giving learners improper help, or too much direction, in assessments
- Losing, or failing to keep secure, assessment materials
- Inaccurate or late registrations or certificate claims
- Withholding information, or failing to respond to reasonable requests
- Not following our reasonable adjustments and special considerations rules
Plagiarism
We use Turnitin to check submitted work for similarity to other sources. If a piece of work has a similarity score of 24% or above, it's returned to you to revise and resubmit before an assessor reviews it. Always reference any idea, evidence or phrase that came from someone else, even if you've put it in your own words.
Using AI in your work
AI can support your thinking and process, but it can't replace your thinking and voice.
You can use AI to
- Brainstorm ideas or create an initial outline, which you then develop in your own words
- Explain a concept or identify relevant topics, before you find and read the original sources
- Check the grammar, clarity and tone of your own writing
- Prompt reflection questions, which you then answer in your own words
- Support your language or accessibility needs, where agreed in your support plan #### You can't use AI to
- Write your assignment, or sections of it, for you to submit as your own
- Write your reflective account, which must describe your own experience
- Provide sources, facts or references you haven't checked
- Help in a formal assessment without permission
- Process confidential, commercially sensitive or personal information #### Always declare it
Add a short note to your work saying which tool you used and how, for example: "I used ChatGPT to generate an initial outline, which I then substantially revised." Undeclared use of AI to produce assessed work is treated as malpractice.
How AI detection is used
Work is also checked with AI detection tools. These tools can get it wrong, so an AI detection score is never used on its own to decide that malpractice has happened. If your work shows a high score, your Coach Mentor will talk it through with you first, for example through a professional discussion about how you produced it.
If something goes wrong
Our response is fair and proportionate, and takes account of any circumstances you tell us about. A genuine mistake, such as poor referencing, is treated as a chance to learn.
- First instance: a conversation with your Coach Mentor, and the work is revised and resubmitted.
- Second instance: a formal warning, at a meeting with your Coach Mentor and your line manager, recorded on file.
- Third instance: a referral to our Centre and Compliance Manager, which may affect your place on the programme.
Serious cases, such as impersonation, having someone else complete your work, or deliberately falsifying evidence, may go straight to the third stage, and are reported to the awarding organisation or end point assessment organisation where a qualification is affected. Malpractice by staff is dealt with through our staff disciplinary procedure, and may be reported to the awarding organisation, the regulator or, where a crime is suspected, the police.
How we investigate
1. We acknowledge your report in writing within 3 working days.
2. We check for conflicts of interest. If the report concerns someone who'd normally investigate, a senior colleague with no involvement leads instead.
3. We decide the next steps, including whether the awarding organisation needs to be told straight away.
4. We investigate fairly. Anyone the allegation concerns is told what's been alleged and can respond, in writing or at a meeting, and can bring a friend, family member or colleague.
5. We confirm the outcome in writing, with our reasons. We aim to finish within 20 working days, and will tell you if we need longer.
6. We report and improve. We tell the awarding organisation where required, and act to stop it happening again.
You can appeal the outcome through our complaints and appeals process.
Our responsibilities
We take every reasonable step to prevent malpractice and maladministration, keep our procedures up to date, investigate every case promptly and thoroughly, act proportionately against those responsible, inform awarding organisations and regulators where required, and report suspected criminal activity to the police. Every member of our team explains this policy to learners at induction, stays alert to possible malpractice, and reports any concern straight away.
Report a concern
If you suspect malpractice or maladministration, email info@traintogetherltd.co.uk for the attention of our Head of Quality, write to Train Together Ltd, 3 Gilmour Close, Leicester LE4 1EZ, or tell your Coach Mentor. Include as much detail as you can. Your identity will be kept confidential.
Related policies: Complaints and appeals · Recognition of prior learning · Additional learning support