Prince Harry

London, Oct. 16: Prince Harry was cleared yesterday of cheating in his art A-level by the examination board that set and marked his papers.

Edexcel said it had re-examined all the prince?s written coursework and listened to the tape recording at the centre of the allegation.

?It has been determined that the tape is inconclusive and not sufficient grounds to warrant the re-opening of the malpractice investigation,? it said. The case has highlighted concern about projects which students are supposed to complete on their own and the widespread confusion about the point at which legitimate help for students ends and cheating begins.

On Monday, Mike Tomlinson, the former chief inspector of schools, will recommend the scrapping of coursework in sixth form exams and its replacement by one long piece of original work as part of his blueprint for the wider reform of secondary education.

Though Edexcel knew the allegation had been made against the prince, the senior examiners reviewing the work had done so without knowing the identity of the candidate, said a spokesman.

?We reviewed the unit and compared it with other units he had completed for his AS level in 2003 and with the three he submitted for the A2 this year. We looked at previous GCSE work and considered handwriting, spelling and consistent language,? she said.