A-level 'cheats' buying essays from internet

A-Level students have been accused of cheating by buying essays off the internet.

A company which has already come under fire for offering "tailor-made" essays for university students is now offering a similar service to sixth formers.

Head teachers have condemned the service, offered by A-Level Coursework UK, as "amoral".

The company claims to have sold work already to 2,000 customers. It promises that all its coursework essays are "wholly original" and "guaranteed" to reach A- or B-grade standard.

Prices for the essays vary from £250 for a 2,500-word essay delivered within five days to £500 for next-day delivery.

Subjects covered include biology, business studies, chemistry, history, French, geography, law, maths and physics.

The company website has a disclaimer telling students the essays should not be passed off as their own work but teachers said it would be easy for youngsters to do so with only "minor tinkering".

John Dunford, general secretary of the Secondary Heads Association, said: "It's amoral and in the short term I think the police should investigate it."

Barclay Littlewood, the 25-year-old law graduate who runs the company, denied the A-level service was unethical, claiming its honest use "outweighs the dishonesty".

He added: "The fact that a small minority will misuse this service is not a sensible argument to say we will deny the majority of users a beneficial service that will provide them with a grade A or B piece of coursework."

A spokesman for the Qualification and Curriculum Authority, which polices the exams system, warned students against being tempted to cheat in their coursework.