Technology failure is quickly replacing the destructive dog as the top excuse used by schoolchildren who haven't done their homework.

A Pixmania survey found that the average British teacher hears 15 excuses relating to homework a week.

When taken across the entire UK, that works out at 6.5 million excuses per week, with about 1.3 million of these related to technology.

Of the top-five tech homework excuses, computer crashes resulting in lost essays came out on top.

Others were accidental deletion after completing the homework and a failed internet connection preventing the carrying out of research.

The survey found that 68 per cent of pupils are now submitting schoolwork typed on a computer, which makes it far easier to blame technological faults.

Tech-related excuses have risen by 30 per cent, according to the survey of 1,000 teachers.

Sue Cooke, assistant headteacher at Wallington County Grammar School, said: "The kids' favourite excuse nowadays is that the work is on their memory stick and they were unable to print it, but often when you put it in the computer there's nothing there."

Cooke said teachers were having to become more tech-savvy so they are able to offer advice to students who are genuinely having problems with their computer.

Other more inventive excuses involved Russians hacking computers and stealing the homework as well as dogs urinating on the computer resulting in the computer exploding.

Burglars were even blamed for stealing printed homework, along with the computer.

www.pixmania.co.uk

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