– Students often complain about writing assignments, work requirements and home exams. “I can help you,” I say.
The woman speaking wishes to remain anonymous. She is 34 years old and lives in Oslo.
She says that since the end of 2021 she has written compulsory school assignments for students for payment. This concerns, among other things, work requirements, home exams and entire bachelor theses – about 30 in total so far, according to the woman.
Dagbladet has been able to see several assignments she is said to have written for others, including a bachelor’s thesis and several home exams.
The woman also shows text message dialogue with some of those she claims to have written for.
“It has passed,” writes one person.
“How far have you come?” writes another.
PASSED: One of the students tells the woman via SMS that the assignment has been passed. Photo: Nina Hansen / Dagbladet
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– Much more expensive
The 34-year-old charges for the job. She says that in periods she has more or less supported herself on money she has received for writing for others.
– The price varies slightly depending on the level of difficulty and the need for preparatory work, she says.
– It won’t be very expensive, she continues, and says that she charges NOK 1,500 for 1,000 words and NOK 2,000 for 1,500 words.
– How much does an entire bachelor’s thesis cost?
– It is much more expensive. It could be closer to NOK 20,000, the woman replies.
Sandra Borch’s master’s thesis is cancelled
Black paid
In the main, she takes payment in cash, but some have also tipped her off, for example disguised as a PC sale.
– I don’t want to accept too much on the fly, she says – and points out that the work she does is, after all, paid for.
– But the job itself, i.e. writing for others, is not illegal, she adds.
– But it’s cheating, isn’t it?
– Of course it is a form of cheating, but my defense is that to get a job in today’s society you have to have a bachelor’s degree, almost no matter what kind of job you apply for. It is a form of education inflation and this system is not for everyone.
– Not everyone is equally good at writing assignments. Some do not have Norwegian as their mother tongue, others find heavy academic English to be demanding – and for some it is life happens, without them having the opportunity to pause their education. These are the people I write for, she continues.
ASSIGNMENT: The woman says that she has written more than 30 assignments for others. Photo: Nina Hansen / Dagbladet
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– Not medicine
The 34-year-old says that, however, there are tasks she will not accept, regardless of the reason and price.
– I do not agree to anything where my thesis writing could have an effect on my professional practice later. For example, I would not help a medical student, she says.
The assignments she has written for others for payment have generally received good grades, says the woman, but adds that there is a range from A to D.
– What I deliver from me is 100 per cent original, and nothing is copied, she says.
– So if Kjerkhol had come to me, she would not have been caught, she jokingly adds, before clarifying that she does not write master’s theses.
– Why are you doing this?
– Because I get to help others, and because I like to write, and learn a lot. In addition, it is an additional motivation that I earn money from it, replies the 34-year-old.
LARGE ASSIGNMENTS: The 34-year-old says that she has written entire bachelor theses for students, who have paid her for it. Photo: Nina Hansen / Dagbladet
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– A potential for that
Michael Allan Jall is adviser and secretary of the Central Complaints Committee at the University of Bergen.
He says that he is not aware of anyone being caught or exposed for having paid others to write assignments for them at UiB, but says that he has heard of the practice:
– I have read an article about it in Khrono, says Jall to Dagbladet.
– Do you think this is happening?
– It is quite possible. The advertisement in Khrono shows that there is potential for that, Jall replies.
– Is this a problem?
– I believe that such a practice is a problem, but I am not familiar with the extent to which it may take place.
– How will something like that be punished?
– It will possibly be up to the tribunal to assess the seriousness of something like that, replies Jall.
Cheated intentionally
– Very serious case
– It would be a very serious case of cheating to buy an assignment and hand it in as one’s own, writes the Ministry of Education in an e-mail to Dagbladet.
– In the new Universities and Colleges Act, it is possible to ban students for up to two years in particularly serious cases of cheating, continues the ministry, which indicates that it is the students who are responsible for following the rules.
– Universities and colleges must ensure a correct assessment of the students’ knowledge. In order to achieve this, the institutions must monitor and keep up to date on possible cheating methods. We have no evidence to say that this is a large or growing phenomenon, writes the ministry.
