A-level pupils using mobile phones to cheat in exams

Hundreds of students used mobile phones to cheat in GCSE and A-levels exams this summer, new figures show.

Exams watchdog Ofqual penalised almost 1,300 teenagers for taking their phones into the exam hall. Some were disqualified for using them during exams, while others had marks docked or were given warnings after being seen with them in the exam hall.

It comes as Ofqual announced that the number of candidates asking for "special consideration" when their papers were marked has increased by 13 per cent - despite a four per cent decrease in the number of exams taken.

Today's figures show that almost 4,000 people were disciplined for malpractice during this summer's exams, including 82 members of staff. However, a spokesman for Ofqual said malpractice figures represent just 0.02 per cent of the total number of exams sat by candidates - a slight decrease from last summer.