Pupils caught with mobile phones have been given no marks in exams.
There have been more than 100 occasions where pupils have been given no marks in an exam after being caught with a mobile phone, figures have revealed.
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has “cancelled” 118 exam entries in these circumstances in three years.
The figures, revealed after a freedom of information request from the Conservatives, also showed there were a further 88 cases between 2010 and 2012 when warnings were given after a pupil took a mobile into the exam room but did not have it within reach.
Tory education spokeswoman Liz Smith raised concerns and said: “These figures show that there is still a problem with the fraudulent use of mobile phones during exams and that more work has to be done to tackle the problem.”
A booklet produced by the SQA lists a number of items students are not permitted to take into the exam room with them, including mobile phones.
Pupils are typically given a warning if they are found to have a mobile phone in their possessions in the exam room, if the device is not within their reach.
But if the phone is on their person, the SQA’s standard response is to cancel their entry for the exam, resulting in no marks given.
