Students cite limited English skills as well as high work loads as reasons for using paid essay-writing services.

Students at the University of Glasgow are using paid essay-writing services available via social media to plagiarise assignments. These services, sometimes referred to as ‘gunners’, are widely available via the Chinese social media app WeChat, and offer to write academic assignments in exchange for large sums of money. 

An investigation by Hillhead Review has revealed that the practice is widespread at the University of Glasgow. We spoke to several students who have used these services or are aware of other students doing so. One international student from China, who graduated from a one-year postgraduate course at Glasgow last year, told Hillhead Review that the problem is “definitely widespread enough to bring attention to the school”.

She said: “I remember at the beginning of one course in the first lecture our lecturer took some time to warn us ‘don’t use the paid essay services’ so I think that they already know that a lot of people are using it otherwise they wouldn’t have taken the time to discuss it with us”

When asked about why she thinks students feel inclined to use paid essay-writing services, she told Hillhead Review that often students are motivated to do so because they have a lack of proficiency in English, saying: “I was recently talking with my friend about a student she knows who is in Glasgow International College who is already using paid essay-writing services because her English is not good enough to complete her course by herself.”

Glasgow International College came under fire last year for offering entry to University courses at reduced grades and English language requirements for international students in exchange for higher than normal fees ranging from £20,000 to £42,000.

Another recent graduate in the School of Life Sciences who came from China to study at Glasgow, told us that: “A lot of people use it, probably about a quarter of the people I knew in my class did…it’s so easy” 

He elaborated on the money that students pay for essay writing services, saying: “Some of these people charge £1 or £2 per word so an essay can cost thousands…They [students] don’t really care about the degree, it’s just good to say you’ve gone to a world top 100 university and the quality of the degree isn’t as important to them.”

Another student echoed this sentiment, saying that “a lot of international students don’t care about the major, they just care about the rank of the uni.”

Students told us that these paid services are very easy to access, with one saying: “When I was an international student I received adverts four times from paid essay-writing services where people were sending messages to me on Instagram. I think if you want to use it, it's very easy to find someone to write essays for you.”

A quick search on Instagram shows that several accounts offering these services follow the official University of Glasgow page. Hillhead Review contacted one of these accounts via WeChat, posing as a student who wanted an essay written in exchange for money.

The account quickly responded, offering the price of 1000 Chinese Yuan in exchange for an essay, which converts to roughly £200.

A postgraduate student from China studying at the Adam Smith Business School also admitted to using paid essay-writing services on WeChat, saying: “It’s actually really easy to do, all I have to do is give them the information. They write them quite quickly too and the grades are okay, I’ve never failed from using an essay written by a ghostwriter.”

When asked if he was concerned that he would be caught by the University he told us: “No, I’m not worried [about getting caught] because lots of people I know do the same thing and I don’t know anyone that has been caught by the University for it.”

A freedom of information request submitted to the University of Glasgow by Hillhead Review showed that there were a total of 2,716 academic misconduct cases among students which resulted in penalties between 2021 and 2024, 73 percent of which related to international students. However, between 2017 and 2023, a total of only eight students were removed from their studies as a result of academic misconduct.

Essay-writing guidance documents for several subjects mention the use of plagiarism services, including Economic and Social History’s document, which says: “The University strongly discourages the use of proofreading and essay-writing companies by students…You are encouraged to report commercial essay-writing service publicity on University premises to the Student Conduct Team.”

Moreover, the University’s declaration of originality, which all students have to sign upon submitting assignments, contains a stipulation that you have “Not sought or used the services of any professional agencies”. 

A spokesperson for the University of Glasgow told Hillhead Review: "The University takes the issues of academic misconduct extremely seriously. The University is focused on preventative action and strengthening our culture of academic integrity.

"Institutionally, we are taking a two-pronged approach to tackling academic misconduct: through assessment design and working with the Student Representative Council to improve students’ understanding of best academic practice."

Published 27 November 2024