Cambridge students are gaming the system by “actively seeking” diagnoses for mental health conditions which means they get extra time in exams, according to a GP.
Dr Fiona Cornish said that GPs have noticed a “massive spike” in university students “rushing in wanting a letter” to provide a diagnosis before exam term, meaning they can get special arrangements.
There has been a big jump in those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as young people who “find it too anxious being in a great big exam hall”.
GPs have been provided with template letters to write to tutors saying that a student’s medical condition “has impaired their ability to prepare for or to perform in their academic work or examinations”.
