Dilemma 1
The shared homework
A close friend messages you late at night asking to copy your finished assignment. They promise to change the wording.
Do you send it, refuse, or offer to explain it to them instead?
7 ethical dilemmas for students
Student life is full of small ethical tests that never appear in a textbook: a group chat, a lazy teammate, a marking mistake in your favour. These seven dilemmas are the kind students really face. Choose what you would actually do, not what a teacher would want to hear.
Dilemma 2
The group project
One member of your group did almost nothing on a graded project. Now each student fills in a private peer-rating form.
Do you rate them honestly, give everyone the same score, or talk to them first?
Dilemma 3
The AI essay
A classmate tells you they had an AI write their essay and it got a higher grade than yours. The school rules ban it.
Do you tell the teacher, say something to your classmate, or let it go?
Dilemma 4
The leaked exam
The night before a big exam, someone posts what looks like the real question paper in your class group chat.
Do you look at it, leave the chat unopened, or tell a teacher it is going around?
Dilemma 5
The marking mistake
Your graded test comes back and you notice the teacher marked one wrong answer as correct. It lifts you to a better grade.
Do you point it out, keep quiet, or wait to see if anyone notices?
Dilemma 6
The new student
A new student sits alone every lunch. Your friends make jokes about them, and joining them would cost you some standing in the group.
Do you sit with them, invite them over to your friends, or stay where you are?
Dilemma 7
The screenshot
A friend sends you an embarrassing screenshot of another student's private message and asks you to pass it on.
Do you forward it, delete it, or tell your friend to stop sharing it?
What your answers hint at
If you lean toward the strict answers, you probably see fairness as something that only works if everyone plays by the same rules, even when breaking them would cost you nothing. If you lean toward the loyal answers, you may put friendships and the group first, and see reporting a classmate as a bigger wrong than the thing they did.
Most people are not consistent across all seven. Many would never cheat themselves but would not report a friend who did. Notice where your line moves: when a friend is involved, when your own grade benefits, or when nobody would ever find out.
How to use these
Teachers can use these as classroom discussion questions, ethics lesson starters or debate prompts. Ask students to write their answer down privately before anyone speaks, then compare. The aim is not to find the one right answer, it is to hear the reasons behind different choices.
Beyond a one-line question
A short prompt is easy to answer in theory. ThinkAlike's moral dilemmas and growth under pressure stories put you inside the moment, with consequences that follow your choices.
Want more like this? Try 7 everyday dilemmas, 7 workplace dilemmas, 7 relationship dilemmas, 7 money and friendship dilemmas, 7 family obligation dilemmas, 7 friendship dilemmas, 7 parenting dilemmas, 7 ethical dilemmas at work, or 7 everyday moral dilemma examples.
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