The research states there is a continuous increase in a situation whereby students all over the world are paying someone else to write their assignments.

According to the study, one in seven recent graduates may contract out their assignment.

The researcher, Phil Newton said, “these findings underscore the need for legislation to tackle essay-mills, alongside improvements in the way students are assessed and awareness-raising of the fundamentals of academic integrity.

“We need to utilise assessment methods that promote learning and at the same time reduce the likelihood that contract cheating can happen”.

The study, which was published in Frontiers in Education analysed 71 survey samples from 65 studies dating back as far as 1978, covering 54,514 participants.

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The research shows contract cheating was self-reported by a historic average of 3.5% of students, but this was shown to be increasing significantly over time.

In studies from 2014 to present the percentage of students admitting to paying someone else to undertake their work was 15.7%.

Commenting on the date, Newton said his finding is likely to underestimate levels of contract cheating among students, adding that students who engage in it are less likely to volunteer to participate in surveys about cheating.