Falsely Accused of Academic Dishonesty
Hi everyone, I’m feeling pretty lost about this situation and would really appreciate any advice or help from people who may have dealt with something similar before.
Last week, before one of my final exams started, I raised my hand to clarify a question I had with answer formatting and the answer packet. An invigilator came over and gave me instructions, which I followed in good faith during the exam. Nothing we discussed related to exam content.
After the exam, I realized the instructions I received were incorrect and will likely severely affect how my answers are graded. I contacted the course instructors hoping to clarify the situation and ask whether this could be taken into account.
What shocked me was the response I received from Associate Professor Eng Leong Tan. Instead of addressing my issue, he stated that me asking a question to the invigilator “may be regarded as cheating,” said students “should not expect to get satisfactory answers” from exam staff, completely dismissing my concerns and implying that he may escalate the matter into an unsubstantiated academic integrity investigation.
What's concerning is that this directly contradicts NTU’s Instructions to Candidates for Paper Based Exams, where invigilators are explicitly responsible for addressing candidate queries before the exam begins and candidates are required to obey their instructions.
I genuinely do not understand how following instructions given by an official exam invigilator, in response to a question unrelated to exam content, could reasonably be interpreted as potential cheating. Also, importantly, instead of addressing the fact that I received incorrect instructions which may affect my grade, Eng Leong Tan dismissed my concerns entirely.
At this point, I’m worried not only about whether my paper will be graded fairly, but also whether there will be any proper or impartial resolution process regarding the incorrect instructions I was given during the exam. I am also concerned on how I will dispute an unfounded allegation of academic dishonesty.
Has anyone dealt with something similar before, or knows what resources are available in situations like this?