Persuasive Essay Example on Students Should Not Be Given Class Failure for Cheating

According to (UoPeople) “about 75% of students in college admit to cheating” Cheating is very relevant today and many students are punished for it. Every student has cheated on something before, maybe without even knowing, and have faced punishments. Students should not be given class failure but should be given lesser punishments. 

 Students should not be given class failure because some students don't even know they are cheating and it could hurt them forever. There are many other forms of plagiarism such as, “borrow or build on someone else’s ideas without giving credit”, “misquote source material”, and “use incorrect (or made up) information about sources,”(Gjelten). Some students could be quoting material and miss some words and then they would still technically be plagiarizing. Students could forget that they need to add quotation marks and they would be counted for plagiarizing. According to (Gjelten) “When you get an “F” for cheating, you may not be able to make up the test or assignment as you would if you received a low grade honestly. Beyond the impact of grades, disciplinary actions are included in your school record” When a student gets a mark on their school record it is there forever and could hurt students opportunities to get jobs. If a college or university sees that a student plagiarized often on things they might choose another student over the student that cheated to get into the college or university. Students could be cheating without even knowing and others blatantly doing it and getting rejected out of college, but some students are pushed too hard academically.

Students should not be given class failure for cheating because they get pushed very hard to get good grades, and often get very stressed. 18,000 students were asked if they had cheated or had been pushed by their parents to get good grades, “Nearly one-third of teens and 25% of tweens say that their parents push them too hard academically” (Middle Earth NJ).  “In a recent survey of 18,000 students at 61 middle and high schools: 66% admitted to cheating on exams, 80% said they had let someone copy their homework, and 58% said they had committed plagiarism” (Middle Earth NJ). That means that a quarter of the 18,000 students surveyed were pushed very hard academically and cheated to get those good grades.  This means that 11,080 students admitted to cheating on exams and 10,440 students plagiarized. A lot of students “get so caught up in the short-term stress of college that they forget about the long-term consequences of their decisions” (Thompson). Short-term stress is something that many students have to deal with and will cause them to do things that they might not even want to do. Students will not look at what could happen to them if they do plagiarize or cheat too much when caught up in their stress. Students are often pushed too hard and will get very stressed, there are also people who say students should be given class failure for cheating. 

It is true that “Cheating has severe consequences, especially in college” (UoPeople). “If you’re caught committing any of the following, you can face serious consequences” (UoPeople). Which includes the most common class failure in college. While people who cheat should be punished, class failure is just too harsh for someone who has just done it once. It is very true that “there is no right reason to cheat. While caring about your grades is definitely important, it only matters when you do so with integrity” (UoPeople). Some people may not have enough time to do work at home, and maybe they are having trouble learning the material. Students could also ask the teacher for help if they are falling behind. While cheating can cause consequences and there is really no reason to cheat, the punishments should not be class failure.

Cheating is very relevant today and students should not face class failure when they cheat.

Students could cheat without even knowing and fail a class, overall the punishment should not be on the level of class punishment. Many students are just hurting their opportunities to get jobs in the future and getting into college and or universities. That’s why students should not be given class punishments for cheating in school.

Gjelten, E. A. “What Are the Consequences of Cheating and Plagiarism at School?” Lawyers, 5 Feb. 2019, www.lawyers.com/legal-info/research/education-law/cheating-at-school.html.

Middleearthnj. “Cheating in School: Facts, Consequences and Prevention.” Middle Earth, 20 Feb. 2014, middleearthnj.org/2014/02/24/cheating-in-school.

Nair, Madhu. “Caught Cheating In College — Is It Really Worth It?” University of the People, 21 May 2020, www.uopeople.edu/blog/caught-cheating-in-college.

Thompson, Van. “The Effects on Students Who Get Caught Cheating in College.” Education Seattle Pi, education.seattlepi.com/effects-students-caught-cheating-college-1219.html. Accessed 28 Jan. 2022.