More than 60 students have been caught cheating and flouting rules during exams in Northern Ireland, it was revealed today.
The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) said there were 62 infringements this year, compared to 53 last year.
There was also a sharp increase in disruptive behaviour, including the use of mobile phones and copying work, to boost marks, according to the body responsible for setting and marking tests.
Teaching officials said the integrity of exams and coursework could be endangered unless action is taken. Results for A and AS Level exams are due next week.
Willie Carvill from the NASUWT teaching union said advancing technology made it easier to cheat. He added: "The whole basis of coursework is something people are seriously questioning. All you have to do now is Google a subject to find the answer and you can even do this during exams using mobile phones."
The CCEA is particularly worried about disruptive behaviour during exams, which happened 12 times this year during GCSE sessions. Most cases of disruptive behaviour involve talking and verbal abuse.
The director of operations, Neil Anderson, said: "We intend to come down hard on the individuals responsible for this type of behaviour by handing down the toughest penalties available to us under national guidelines for handling cases of examinations malpractice."