What is it?
Commissioning, also known as contract cheating, is when a student asks or pays someone to complete part of or the entire assessment for them. This is often done by paying to have your assessment written for you, but not always.
This could be through
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A family member, friend, or a third party
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Extensive input from a private tutor or writer
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Payment of Essay Mill services
Essay Mills
Essay Mills are companies that offer to complete work for a student, often in return for payment. You would often find their advertisement in social media and internet outlets as providing proofreading services and academic support.
Essay Mills are now illegal in the UK.
The quality of the work done through Essay Mills is often poor. These businesses have also been found to blackmail students. If you have been contacted or are in contact with such a business and they are threatening you, please contact us, or your Module Leader for advice.
What would happen?
The university uses Turnitin, which detects plagiarised content, and your assessor will use their academic judgment and experience to evaluate whether you are the author of the work you have submitted.
Commissioning can lead to failure in the module or even expulsion from your degree.