No marks for exam cheats

HUNDREDS of Scots pupils have had their exam marks cancelled after being caught cheating.

New figures show that, between 2013 and 2015, 531 students were found to have broken rules in Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) tests and course work.

Of those, 355 awards were ‘cancelled’ – the maximum penalty in which all marks were lost.

Scottish Tory education spokesman Liz Smith said: ‘There has to be zero tolerance when it comes to cheating. It still seems a small minority of pupils think they can get away with it.’

An SQA spokesman described the number accused of cheating as ‘extremely low’. He added: ‘For example, in 2015, penalties were applied in only 0.031 per cent of the overall 523,445 entries. ’