TEACHERS caught someone impersonating a Scottish pupil during an examination last summer, new figures show.
The incident of "personation" appears in the latest report on cheating published by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).
No specific details of the incident have been recorded, but the report described the offence as where a candidate "had someone assume his or her identity during an assessment".
Overall, the number of Scottish pupils found cheating in school exams has risen by more than a third - although numbers are still very low. There were 163 cases of malpractice last summer compared to 119 the previous year and more than 200 in 2013. The latest figure amounts to just 0.031 per cent of the total number of exam entries.
Plagiarism accounted for 87 cases and there were 39 cases of collusion, nine cases where a mobile phone was used and 14 instances of pupils using crib notes.
Exam results were cancelled in 119 cases, a revision of marks where a particular section was omitted was applied in 13 cases and warnings were given in 31 cases.
Jean Blair, director of operations for the SQA, said: "It is testament to the continued vigilance of teachers, lecturers, markers and invigilators that it is only a tiny minority of pupils who engage in malpractice.
"Any kind of malpractice is totally unacceptable, however, and these figures send a strong message that each and every instance will be investigated thoroughly.
"We will continue to work with schools, colleges and the teaching profession to ensure that our zero tolerance approach is applied everywhere and every time."
Before national exams every school is provided with the explanatory booklet offering advice on how candidates should conduct themselves in exams, including avoiding malpractice.
The booklet details items which are prohibited in an examination, including mobiles, tablets, smartwatches or any other device which can be used to access or store information.
The guide also informs candidates about improper conduct in the exam hall and includes notes on plagiarism and collusion and sets out the penalties for malpractice and that all cases are investigated.
Every school and college where candidates are sitting SQA examinations is also provided with an explanatory booklet called Your Coursework.
Guidance is also provided to all exam invigilators who are appointed by SQA and led by a chief invigilator in each school. Invigilators are required to be vigilant to any potential malpractice.
Before each exam they brief candidates on unauthorised items, remind them of their responsibilities within the exam hall and the consequences of any malpractice.
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