Cheating isn’t what it used to be! When I was at school we used the good old fashioned methods handed down from generation to generation. But kids these days are spoilt by modern technology. In short, they’re cheating at cheating!

Why this sudden nostalgia for good old fashioned cheating? Well, right now, all over Italy, adolescents are being subject to the dreaded perennial terror of l’esame di maturità (end of secondary school exams).

The exams consist of two written tests and an oral. Everyone tries their best to anticipate the possible topics for these exams, the first of which is la prova scritta d’Italiano, in which we have to choose from a small selection of titles and write a short dissertation on the topic in four hours. The year in which I took my exams happened to be the 500th anniversary of Raffaello’s birthday, and hence I gambled on this being one of the exam topics. With the help of my history of art teacher I prepared a couple of dissertations on Raffaello. The next step was to get my mother to sew numerous hidden pockets inside my baggiest long sleeved summer dress which I then used to conceal vast quantities of ‘notes’ for my proposed dissertation.

To my dismay, when the fateful day arrived none of the topics even mentioned Raffaello! In a state of total panic, I wasted the first twenty minutes staring uncomprehending at the obscure choices presented to me, which I no longer even recall. I spent the rest of the morning sweating inside my long sleeved dress stuffed to the brim with useless notes on the life of Raffaello!

Am I bad? Technically, maybe yes, but … hands up the Italian student who has never availed themselves of ‘a little help’ during their esame di maturità … anyone … no one? Well, that’s a surprise! Let’s have a look at some of ye olde fashioned methods of cheating in exams and a few modern high tech ones:

The simplest method of all, bigliettini (little tickets) give at the very least a sense of reassurance to nervous students.

A favourite method of mine and my classmates, hiding our secret notes inside a packet of fazzoletti (handkerchiefs). Just remember to sniffle a lot!

A real pro, handcrafted and very organised, this one deserves a prize for creativity!

Youngsters these days! Cell phones must be handed in at the door, so … just take two cell phones and innocently hand in the one without the notes on it. A Wi-Fi connection can also come in very handy!

Auricolari (earphones): Hide this nifty little device up your sleeve, rest your head in your hand as if you’re concentrating hard on the question … success!

Professionally manufactured cheat T-shirts by SCUOLAZOO.com conveniently covered in grammar notes.

So … "let he who is without sin, cast the first stone"