Students who cheat at school know very well that if they are caught, their grades will suffer and they will be disqualified or even expelled. The stigma will likely haunt them for the rest of their lives.
Nevertheless, some students still risk their future in the hope of a few extra marks simply because they think they can beat the examination system by cheating.
The question is whether 'successful' cheaters win or lose.
'Examinations only test our ability in the subjects - they measure our progress in learning,' says Young Post reader Henry Arthur Poon.
If this is the case, exam scores do not reflect the abilities or progress of cheaters, making it difficult for teachers to assess students' knowledge, skills and abilities.
This makes it difficult for teachers to come up with appropriate teaching plans and to provide specific help to students. Unable to assess students' real level of progress, teachers may impose academic challenges that are too difficult, encouraging more cheating as a result.
'As long as cheaters are not caught, the satisfaction from getting high marks will make them continue to do so,' says Ernest Tse Kwok-keung, senior curriculum development officer at the Education Bureau. '[Furthermore] they might miss the whole purpose of learning and lose motivation.'