Petition · past parliament
Ban the provision and advertising of 'essay mill' cheating services.
Closed
5,911 signatures
What the petition asks
'Essay mills' provide custom written essays for students to cheat with. Prices range from a couple of hundred pounds for a single essay to over £6,750 for a PhD dissertation. This undermines the high standards of universities and is unfair to honest students - but is currently legal.
There are over 100 essay mills websites currently in operation. The sites claim the essays are provided simply for study purposes, but simultaneously advertise 'guaranteed grades', 'never resold' and 'plagiarism free'.
The Irish government has announced a new law that would make make it illegal to provide or advertise contract cheating services. New Zealand and 17 US states already have such laws. We call for the UK Government to pass a similar law to stamp out this unacceptable practice.
The Irish government has announced a new law that would make make it illegal to provide or advertise contract cheating services. New Zealand and 17 US states already have such laws. We call for the UK Government to pass a similar law to stamp out this unacceptable practice.
Timeline
| 22 Aug 2018 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 22 Feb 2019 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
5,911
Status
Closed
Opened
22 Aug 2018
Closed
22 Feb 2019
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.