Exam ban on ALL watches over fears of cheating

PUPILS will be banned this summer from wearing ordinary watches in GCSE and A-level exams for the first time amid cheating fears.

Many Smart watches, which can surf the internet and store information, now have similar faces to traditional timepieces – so exam chiefs have ruled none can be worn.

They insist teenagers must place any watch in front of them on the desk so they cannot use them to look up answers.

It was feared pupils may have been failing to declare their wristwatch is ‘smart’. Some pupils are also suspected of concealing answers underneath watches. The Joint Council for Qualifications, which oversees exam regulations, included the new rule in its guidance.

It said: ‘Wristwatches are allowed in an examination but all students must remove and place them on their desks.’

Mobile phones and MP3 players were earlier banned.